Alice and the Looking glass
by novelist24
Summary: [1951 version sequel] Determined to prove it wasn't just a dream, Alice heads back into the looking glass to rediscover the land of nonsense once more, discovering a life sized chess game, meeting both old and new faces, and encountering a fearsome creature. A Rewrite fanfic. Enjoy!
1. Alice and Reggie

**Hello everyone.**

 **So I've decided to rewrite my old fanfiction: Alice Back through the looking glass.**

 **This is a fanfiction I wrote over a year ago and managed to complete. But now when I read back on it, I feel like it needed to be rewritten.**

 **As I said when I finished it, I wasn't too happy with the story of my old fanfiction. I felt as if the plot was too complicated and was quite hard to follow, so it will be different as to the original, and that the layout of the paragraphs made it pretty hard to read. Nevertheless I'm still grateful to those who reviewed, followed, and favourited. It was my first ever fanfiction and it helped motivate me to write it.**

 **But I think you guys deserve something better, or at least an improvement of the original fanfic. So this is: Alice and the looking glass. A rewrite of Alice Back through the looking glass.**

 **As like the original, this is based in the 1951 version, the Disney animated version, as the characters from it too. This is intended to be a sequel to that film.**

 **One more thing, do you think I should keep or delete the original fanfic? If you want to, please let me know in either a review, PM, or maybe I'll create a poll. I'll put the link up if I do. Thanks again, and Enjoy.**

 **Alice in Wonderland belongs to Lewis Carroll and this version Disney.**

It was the 1800s in the country of England. The buildings of old Victorian London outside the window were all stacked and placed like pieces of a chessboard, and apart from the occasional chimney sweeper, and the fumes from factories off in the distance, as this area was more of a residential higher class one, there was nothing really that interesting going on. Much to the dismay of young Alice, who was wishing for anything to get herself out of the loop of boredom that her homework was giving her.

The young blonde girl with a black bow in her hair, wearing a blue dress with a white apron, leggings, and black shoes, laid on her stomach in the middle of her room with a pencil in hand and a book on the floor that she was, somewhat reading.

It was given by her elder sister, who privately tutored and home schooled Alice. Though the young pupil hardly ever paid attention, and especially now, after that bizarre adventure she supposedly had, in a whole other world of her own.

At least, she thought it was her own. To this day, weeks after the event, the young girl still didn't know whether she actually did go to a place, which she nicknamed Wonderland, or if it all was just a dream.

Ever since she came back that day from the lake area with her sister, and began mentioning some of the things she had seen, or quoting some of things she had heard, a lot of people started referring to her as 'that girl with mad ideas'. She had heard them say this when they thought she wouldn't be listening, often making her frustrated

Either they be servants or a member of her own class, they put it down to her imagination, and making a small joke about it like some of the servants did, or some would quietly suggest that she was going mad and needed help. As the place of 'Wonderland' wasn't exactly something she kept to herself. She would accidentally mention it's name sometimes in conversation.

Speaking of dreams, Alice was absent mindedly daydreaming right now, not fully realising it until her cat, Dinah, poked her nose against Alice's hand.

"Hmm? What is it Dinah? Oh!" the blonde then saw that on the page she was currently on, she had been drawing pictures of the creatures she had met in 'Wonderland', including the white rabbit, the caterpillar, and the March Hare.

"Oh, well that will hardly ever do for a study book now will it." She proceeded to rub off the drawings with her eraser, after which she just sighed and said "Oh I wish my sister didn't give me so much to do Dinah. She wants this done by tomorrow, and I hardly think that's an appropriate deadline."

She put the pencil down and began scratching her pet. "You might have like Wonderland Dinah" said Alice changing the subject. "There was an ocean full of fish, and two poems about them. 'How doth the little crocodile' and 'the Walrus and the carpenter'."

The cat looked up at her confused, to which Alice answered "That last one was about oysters." She sighed again and stood up. Carrying her cat in her arms she walked over to where she kept a small box by her bedside, next to a handcrafted necklace. Inside the box were some treats for Dinah that she'd kept, and the feline happily licked them off Alice's fingers.

"How am I supposed know the capitals of all these countries?" She asked again referring to the study book. "It's all complicated and nonsense. Then again, it's nothing compared to-, never mind."

Just then the young girl heard: "Alice! Alice could you come down."

She stood and picked up her pet, holding Dinah in her arms. "Coming mother!" she called back. "Come along Dinah" Alice almost sounded like a mother herself. "Let's hope whatever mother wants with us it doesn't take too long. We have to be at the meeting point at four O'clock."

Stepping down the stairs of the three story house, the girl either nodded to or greeted every servant she passed, replying to the ones who greeted her.

"Ah there goes the young mistress" a middle aged stumpy servant woman called out, holding a pile of laundry. "How are you then Miss Alice?"

"I'm very good Mrs Langton" Alice replied remembering her manners.

"Chasing white rabbits again are we?" the servant woman joked with her.

"What? Oh. Not really Mrs Langton. My mother's calling me."

"Ah you and that imagination of yours, such a good girl." The servant carried on with her duties and Alice just smiled in return, ignoring the comment and continued on her way.

Stepping into the dining room, the girl waited patiently while her mother was instructing some servants, whom were carrying plates and dishes. "Be careful now, those plates are expensive, ah Alice, there you are."

"Hello mother."

"I'm glad you're here actually. Now as you know, your father and I have some of our friends from the other side of London coming around who will be joining us for dinner tomorrow night."

"Yes mother" Alice replied, half paying attention.

"And they have arrived today, and are staying nearby."

"Mm-hm" the girl's mind began to wander, as she slightly bent her knees at the same time.

"And they-, Alice?"

"Hmm? Sorry?" the blonde snapped back into reality.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, just curtseying mother."

"Curtseying? Why?"

"Well it saves time while you're thinking, I learned that in-"

"Oh Alice not that silly little 'Wonderland' dream again" sighed her mother shaking her head.

"It wasn't a dream mother, honestly. I really did fall down a rabbit hole, and into a rather insane world" the girl proclaimed rather politely to her parent.

Sighing again and kneeling down to her level, Alice's mother put a hand on her shoulder and spoke with a soft voice.

"Alice, the only thing that other people will think is insane will be your stories about this little 'Wonderland' of yours. You have a very active imagination and are very creative, which I'm proud of, but you can't say or talk about these things in front of other people, and especially our guests. It's good for children to pretend but actually claiming to have been there will make people think you belong in the madhouse. Understand?"

Alice didn't say anything for a second, although she did want to protest deep down, it was best that maybe she just nodded and said "Of course mother." Maybe she did have a point. Alice had, often by it accidentally slipping out, talked about Wonderland more than she should've.

Then Alice remembered "Wasn't there something you wanted me for mother?"

"Oh yes, right. Like I said we have some of our friends coming round, and they've just arrived outside. Whilst I'll greet them, could you say hello to their daughters? Out of common courtesy of course."

Alice tried not to let her face fall. "Oh, those girls?" In truth, the young blonde was not happy about that at all. The only reason she played with them was because they were the daughters of her father's business friends, and her parents thought they would be good playmates for her, but Alice however could not stand their company, given how they often treated her.

But again, Alice could not disobey her mother, directly anyway, so she put on a smile and replied "Of course I will mother."

"Thank you so much Alice" the woman gave her daughter a brief smile before walking away, and after she was out of sight, Alice let out a small groan.

Dinah poked her head out of her owner's front apron pocket and glanced up. "C'mon Dinah, we'd better say hello to the girls before we head out."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Stepping outside and down the stairs of the house, Alice was not looking where she was going, and bumped past a servant boy, accidently knocking the chimney brushes out of his hand. "Oh! I'm so sorry about that. Here let me help you."

"It's no problem Miss, I'll pick 'em up and-" both the servant boy and Alice looked up at each other, and realised who the other was. Quickly remembering there were people around, they continued talking like they didn't know each other.

"Um, here you are" she handed him the last brush.

"Thank you Miss Liddell, I'd best get going now." He nodded as Alice watched him walk off. That's when she also heard another voice from behind down by the pavement, which made her eyes roll.

"There she is talking to the household staff again" a condescending voice came.

Alice turned and walked over to greet the daughters of her parents friends, who had just stepped out of a carriage. Their parents stepped out and were ushered by the staff.

"Hello girls" Alice curtseyed. She wasn't pleased, but she wanted to remain kind and have good manners.

"Why hello Alice." There were a total of four girls, all wearing high class dresses like Alice. "So nice to be in this neighbourhood again."

"Bear in mind, I have heard that this side of the river has gone downhill in quality recently" another girl commented.

"Not to mention it's inhabitants" said another giggling.

"Normally you'd expect them to dress a little fancier, and I'm talking about the ones of our class!" the four girls giggled at this joke, all except Alice of course, looking at her dress in her hands.

She huffed. "Hm. Well I don't think my dress is awful or tattery, now if you'll excuse me I'm heading out." She turned her back to them and began to walk away.

"Off on her own? Well that's unsurprising" the rich girls giggled.

"Oh she's not on her own, she's probably going to meet that white rabbit of hers, and have a tea party with a Hare!" they all laughed again, and Dinah poked her head out once more.

"Don't listen to them Dinah, I'm don't like being among mad people anyway."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Through the residential streets of the city, Alice was in a short run across the roads and past the houses. The bell by a nearby church then struck and it's bells rung, alerting the girl to the time. "Oh Goodness! Four O'clock, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late."

She headed down a path way into a little grassy lake park area. It was the same area where she first saw the white rabbit, and where her sister sometimes took her lessons outside. On the small bridge over the lake, a boy sat there on the edge looking down into the water, playing with a stick in his hands. That same boy Alice had bumped into earlier carrying the chimney brushes. He managed to get here first obviously.

"Reggie!" she called out.

The boy turned his head. "Alice! You're here!" he stood up.

"Sorry I'm a bit late" she apologised. "But I had to speak with those, very ungraceful, daughters of my parents friends. My mother asked me to of course."

"I saw them. They didn't say anything to you did they? I mean, not anything, too harsh?" the boy asked concerned.

"Oh, just the usual y'know. I'd rather not talk about it."

"You shoulda said somethin' back I reckon. I've heard you insult them behind their backs before, and I'll say, given how creative those insults are, I'd happily spend my half penny pocket money to watch you say it to their faces, over any swordfight" Reggie chuckled.

"Yes, well as amusing as that sounds, it would be an awful thing for me to do. Especially, and unfortunately, if they are guests." Alice then remembered. "Reggie, would it possibly be alright if I ask you the capital cities of a few countries?"

The boy and girl walked across the bridge and onto the grassy park area. Reggie, like Alice, was a twelve year old child. He had hazel scruffy hair, wearing a brown open jacket over a dirty white shirt, along with brown trousers and shoes.

He was a member of the working class. Both he and his mother worked for Alice's parents at her house. He usually worked as either a chimney sweep or a cleaner, in addition to attending school of course.

His father was part of the redcoat army, away overseas in the British military. Having joined years ago, he managed to work his way up through the ranks, which earnt his family enough money to at least live on, hence why Reggie was able to afford to go to school. The bad side of that was, Reggie's father was hardly ever allowed to come home, only on certain occasions.

He would instead send his wife and son letters, like many soldiers did, which were delivered by boat and to their families. Reggie kept them, hanging them up on his bedroom wall along with newspaper headlines of the empire's victories.

Alice and Reggie continued through the little lake area and it was almost breathtaking. The lake/stream that travelled under the bridge and through the fields shone and glistened in the sunlight. Some of the trees by the lake side had leaves that drooped down, touching the water. Lily Pads and plants grew on the stream as many colourful flowers grew among the tall grass of the field, as well as one rather large tree.

Alice rested herself on a higher branch, much like she did just before she first saw the rabbit. Reggie was sat at the base of the tree on the ground, reading some pieces of paper in his hand. It was necessary for the pair to come here, as it was secluded, and hardly anyone came by. You see, being in two very different social structures, higher and working, it would never be allowed for the pair to be friends with each other.

They had no choice but to keep it a secret, only talking to each other as friends when no one else was around. If they were in the company of others, then they would speak to the other in a servant, and employer's daughter sort of way. And they were excellent at hiding it, being friends for six years now. This was a big reason why these meetings were so important.

"So Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark?" Alice repeated slowly.

"That's right."

"Denmark? That would be the Dutch one wouldn't it?" asked Alice.

"No Alice the Netherlands are Dutch. Denmark is Danish" Reggie corrected, whilst flicking through the papers he had in his hands.

"Hmm, well that's strange. Normally the names are connected. You know, England is English, France is French, Prussia is Prussian, but the Netherlands are Dutch? Peculiar."

"Of course there are more capitals other than the European ones" Reggie reminded while looking at a map of the world which was on one of his papers, and certain areas of it were marked with British flags.

"I wonder what the capital of Wonderland was" Alice absent mindedly remarked.

Reggie glanced up at his friend, only to see her staring in the direction of where she claimed to have fallen down the rabbit hole. "Alice?" She didn't respond. "You're looking at the rabbit hole again."

The girl realised what she was doing and quickly turned away. "I'm sorry, I just, I just wish there was some unusual thing running round the bushes or the river. Anything just to prove, mostly to myself, that I am certainly not mad and that it wasn't all a dream." She leaned forward and laid on her stomach, balancing on the branch, running her fingers through her hair like a comb. "Do you think I'll ever be lucky enough to see one?"

"You make your own luck in this world Alice" replied her friend. "You can't obtain it from something like a, pardon the pun, rabbit's foot. It'll bring you as much luck as it did the rabbit." Reggie leaned back against the branch. "But I do believe you."

"You do?" she looked down at him, slightly surprised.

Reggie stood up so he was almost at her level. "My pop writes letters to me remember? He has done for years." A wide smile grew on his face, and he had a long distance look in his eyes.

"And the sorts of things he'd tell me about Alice. He'd write about big brown furred creatures in Canada, that could stand on their hind legs. Long necked creatures in Africa with spots. And these leaping animals in Australia that could box each other" he chuckled. "If creatures like that exist in the world, then it's not hard to believe something like a smoking caterpillar, or sea captain Dodo exists."

Alice just simply smiled at this. She knew at least with him she wouldn't have to justify and prove her sanity. Her smile then dropped however when Reggie said "You know I wish I could tell you more about this. I haven't received any letters from father in the past two months. My mother told it was because the ship carrying the letters had sunk, and would take a while for the next batch of letters to come through."

Alice turned away, a worried and guilty look on her face. She couldn't tell him what had happened. "Um, yes, I'm sure they'll come through eventually." She got off the branch and down on the ground, walking with her friend stepping through the flowers, and holding some in her hand, before both laying down on their stomachs next to the stream.

"You know, now that I think about it, I don't think I would like to return to Wonderland. Last time I was there, I nearly lost my head, thanks to a completely unfair trial, accompanied by a biased jury and idiotic witnesses, who made it look like that I was the one who caused the Queen to lose her temper" Alice ranted without raising her voice.

"Is that what happened?" asked the working class boy, fiddling with some broken twigs.

"Well I did call the Queen a, pardon my language, fat pompous bad tempered old tyrant" the girl turned away slightly embarrassed.

"You called her that?" Reggie laughed. "That's you all over Alice, you can be as well mannered and polite as a vicar, but you know how to use a viper tongue when angry. Amazing how you can say that to a Queen but not to those girls who make fun of you." He finished putting together the twigs which turned out to be a small model boat, that he released onto the water.

"Well perhaps you could've showed those cardmen guards a thing or two if you were there" Alice joked.

"Maybe." The boy, whilst still looking at the twig boat, asked seriously "Do you think I'll be a hero one day? Like the ones away in the empire? Like my father?"

"You mean going to foreign lands and fighting?"

"Anything. The newspapers always talk about how the brave soldiers discover new lands, fend off attackers, help out the natives of said lands by getting rid of troublemakers, in exchange for goods and resources." He continued. "Perhaps one day, maybe I'll even be like the fairytale heroes. Fighting evil soldiers with a sword, outsmarting the bad guys, defeating an evil tyrant, rescuing a damsel, anything like that y'know?"

Little did both children know, Dinah was on top of the tree branches, eyeing up a bug crawling on a leaf, preparing to pounce.

"Well if one wants to achieve something Reggie" Alice proclaimed offering a piece of advice, "One must keep his eye on the ball, and pay attention to the things that'll get him there."

That's when Dinah pounced and missed, falling out of the tree and into the running stream that the branch was dangling over. "Dinah!" Alice suddenly remembered as she heard the splash. Her cat had climbed out of her skirt pocket and onto the tree, she completely forgot.

Both children got up and rushed to the part of the stream Dinah was struggling to keep afloat in. "Reggie we have to do something! She'll drown!"

Thinking quickly, the working class boy ran down the side of the stream and jumped onto a rock in the middle of it. The current of the stream was going quite fast, so he had to be quick when grabbing her.

Looking for something to assist, Alice grabbed a long stick off the ground, and threw it to Reggie. "Reggie, catch!" It was just thick enough for Dinah to grab onto.

Kneeling down, Reggie steadied himself and lowered the stick. "Okay, if I can just-" he was cut off, as the rock he was on was too slippery, and he himself fell into the stream.

"Reggie! Dinah!"

Luckily, the long stick dropped and hung between the rock and the stream bank, to which a small paw emerged from the water and grabbed onto it. Alice knelt down and pulled the stick towards her, taking the soaked cat in her arms. "Oh Dinah, I'm so glad you're safe! I'm so sorry! You're soaking wet." She used her apron to dry off the shakened up feline and rubbed her face against the cat's.

Reggie managed to pull himself out of the stream and onto the bank. He briefly glanced over at Alice holding and comforting Dinah, and turned back to the floor trying to rinse his sleeves. "Some hero" he remarked about himself. But he felt an arm pull him into an embrace and realised Alice was hugging him.

"Thank you Reggie" she said not caring how wet he was. Realising that it was getting dark, as it was the time of the year when it became darker earlier, both Alice and Reggie decided it was best to leave and return to their homes, especially since Reggie was in need of drying out.

Walking across the bridge and back into the suburban area, they said their goodbyes to each other. "My mother's going to throw the book at me this time" Reggie had finally managed to rinse out his jacket as best he could.

"Are you going to be alright?" Alice had already wiped his face dry with her handkerchief.

"I'm more worried about you. What with all those important guests around, to bad there isn't a passage to Wonderland in your house" Reggie figured running his hands through his wet hair.

"Yes, well who knows Reggie, if there is anything that the land nonsense taught me, is that anything can happen."


	2. Through the glass

Up on the third floor of Alice's house, the next day late afternoon, the two secret friends were in the middle of a not so very tense chess game, which ended up only taking fifteen minutes, as Reggie almost had her in a checkmate, constantly putting her king in check every turn.

The room they were in was a spare bedroom that wasn't really used all that much. It contained only a bed, a dresser, and an old fireplace with a looking glass above it.

There was some time before the dinner with the guests tonight, so they occupied themselves with the game. Alice wore an extra big bow in her hair, along with a few laces tied into her normal blue dress for the occasion.

Reggie, serving as an apprentice footman for the night, wore a waiter's uniform, at least one suited for a child.

"I don't believe it. Whichever piece I move I'll be taken" observed the girl.

"That's strategy" replied her opponent.

"How on earth are you so good at it?" she carried on placing her pieces around.

"My father used to explain some of the empire's maneuvers in his letters" Reggie moved his piece. "Look, my pawns are preventing yours from advancing forward. And for those who aren't, are in position to take your knights." He pointed to show her. "And my bishops and rooks are also ready to capture any piece that comes across their path."

"You seem to have learnt a lot from them" observed the girl. "Oh am I envious of your attention span Reginald." She played with her hair as she said this. "You'd make a fantastic commander, I know you would. And I bet you could take on an army, and possibly even monstrous beasts with horrible fangs and snouts."

"Oh I'll show those fire breathers a thing or two" he humoured along with her. "And perhaps I'll discover a land of nonsense for myself."

"Just remember not to cause them to lose their temper." She sat up. "Everything in this land that is, isn't. And anything that would be, would not be. An animal for all you know could act as something such as an instrument, and an instrument could act rather beastly toward you."

"At least you don't have to worry about that with Dinah" the boy smiled scratching under the cat's neck, as the feline knocked over a chess piece with her nose.

"I also don't have to worry about her getting me into trouble with any royal either" Alice picked her up and looked at the clock on the mantlepiece. "But looking normal in front of our guests is indeed something I have to put up with."

Both the children got up and straightened their outfits. "We'll finish this game later. Now you stay here Dinah, and be good" Alice set her pet down on the bed.

"I'd better head out first, my mother probably needs help with the cutlery and dishes downstairs, and I don't want the housekeeper on her case about me being late" Reggie brushed himself before exiting the room.

Alice glanced at herself in the looking glass, making sure her hair was tidy on final time before sighing. "Just remember, polite conversation and manners makes the meal."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The servants in the Liddell household were scuttling about, flocking from their quarters and back, laying the rather long table for the master's and mistress's dinner with their guests tonight. All of them, the butler, the housekeeper, the footmen, the kitchen maids, the house maids, the scullery maids, along with the chef and cooks who were at work with the meals.

Not only the staff, but said master and mistress were preparing themselves for the dinner, as well as their eldest daughter, Alice's sister.

Once the table was laid and the candles were lit, the guests arrived and were shown in by the footmen, and were greeted by Mr and Mrs Liddell. Alice came down the stairs just in time to meet them standing next to her family.

Mr and Mrs Liddell shook their hands. "I'm thrilled you could make it tonight. My staff will show you to the table" said Mr Liddell, greeting the couples that came in.

"You know our daughters" Mrs Liddell gestured to Alice and her sister, who in turn curtseyed at them.

Speaking of daughters, the ones of the Liddell's business friends walked through too. "Hello Alice" they each said as they passed her in a smug tone, to which the blonde girl didn't say anything back, but instead followed them into the dining room that was already accompanied by servants.

As the girls walked in, they stopped at the chairs as one of them turned to the nearest waiter, the page boy, which happened to be Reggie. "Well, aren't you going to pull the chairs out for us?" she scolded.

"Oh, right, yes, sorry Miss." He pulled out the seats for the four girls and Alice who gave him a brief secret smile, but then one of the other girls demanded:

"And take our coats as well. Hang them up neatly."

He did so as they continued to gossip. "Wasn't that the chimney sweep boy from yesterday?"

"I think he should've stayed in that profession, too stupid to know that he should've pulled the chairs out immediately."

Sat next to them at the corner of the table, Alice wanted to immensely protest that idea, as Reggie, in her opinion, was far more intelligent than these four girls put together. But she stayed silent.

"Well all of their kind are like that aren't they?" said another girl glancing at one of the maids. "There's a reason their class is kept separate from ours."

"That, and just look at them. They maybe dressed well tonight, but I've seen them in the street, all rags and bad manners. Only good for working I say. Just as long as they don't stay around us for too long."

"Heavens no. Not worth talking to in the slightest, I wouldn't want them in my house that's for sure."

Alice couldn't hold her tongue any longer. "I think it was awfully nice of him to take your coats and pull your seats out" she proclaimed. And the girls just giggled at her.

"You must be mad Alice, defending someone of the, common, folk."

She was about to say something again, but the rest of the guests and the hosts took their seats beginning the evening. The drinks were poured and the meal was eventually served.

The maids and waiters came in and out occasionally taking dishes and pouring drinks, whilst the adults talked amongst themselves, causing the young Alice Liddell to become bored out of her skull within the first ten minutes.

There were conversations about business and family and just general social and political events. Orders were given to the servants multiple times and the table erupted in laughter every time a joke was told.

It was becoming rather late, and it was a habit of Alice's whenever she became bored, that she became curious, proceeding to cut open her food to see what was on the inside of it, though she eventually began to push it all into the shape of a rabbit. It was only when she heard her name be called was she snapped out of it.

"I hear your sister's been tutoring you Alice?" asked a guest, making conversation with the children.

"Hm? What sorry?" the girl looked up.

"Mrs Pensford was just asking about your sister tutoring you Alice" informed her mother trying to save face in front of the guests.

"Oh, right, yes, she has been giving me plenty of homework to complete definitely" answered the girl.

"My eldest is aiming to be a teacher, hopefully to homeschool other children across our area" announced her father quite proud of her, and the conversation lead onto her sister telling them about her planned life and her parents praising her and guests complimenting in turn.

The young Liddell slumped down again, as she usually would whenever her sister was enjoying endless praise and approval from others.

"What sort of career interests you miss Alice?" asked another guest.

The girl quickly sat up to attention again. "Oh, well I haven't really thought about that a great deal, though I am rather interested in riddles,"

"Riddles?"

"'Ahem' I think it's time to move to the lounge for drinks don't you think?" her father interrupted gaining the guests attention before Alice could explain.

"No no, it's okay, let's hear what the girl has to say" the same guest assured.

All eyes were on her now. "Well I did hear this rather strange riddle once: Why is a Raven like a writing desk?"

"Why is a Raven like a writing desk? What kind of nonsense is that?" laughed a different guest.

"Contrariwise, I think it's very philosophical, and good for the brain. For example this very occasion could be used to celebrate our un-birthdays,"

" _Un_ -birthdays?" another repeated questioningly.

"Why yes. If we only have one birthday a year, then that means the other three hundred and sixty four days must be an un-birthday. And whose to say that there's not an un-Christmas, and an un-Easter too."

"Alice, I think I've taught you well enough to know that there aren't such things as 'un-birthdays'" her older sister interrupted.

"But you only teach me Latin Arithmetic and history. You wouldn't know either" protested the younger girl.

"Yes I would Alice" responded her sister, not wanting to be shown up by her younger sibling in front of the guests. "And if you would gladly recite page thirty six of your homework book, the part about the gregorian calendar, you will see."

Alice paused. "Page thirty six?"

"Yes Alice, from the book I asked you to complete for today."

"Right, the homework book you asked me to complete," the younger girl repeated, sounding guilty.

Her sister took one look at her and realised, sighing and shaking her head.

"Well you know children, I'm sure she'll learn eventually" a guest assured.

"My little girl already knows her facts and figures. Don't you Elizabeth?" spoke up another guest looking at her daughter, one of the girls sat next to Alice.

"Of course mother. I know that the number of days in the year corresponds with the earth travelling around the sun" replied the girl proudly.

"Alice was probably drawing in her book again, look, she even pushed her food into the shape of a Rabbit" the girl next to her pointed, and Alice quickly placed her knife and fork on her plate in some attempt to cover it.

"My girls finish their meals" one guest whispered to another.

"And they don't talk about childish things such as Rabbits" they whispered back.

This was all in the earshot of Alice's parents, who did not like this whatsoever.

"You might think it, but I don't think rabbits are silly at all. Neither do I Lizards or Dodos" the blonde girl proclaimed.

"Dodos? Aren't they extinct?" questioned someone.

Alice's father then spoke up getting the guests attention. "I think it's time to move to the living room for drinks don't you think?" He signalled to the servants to collect the plates and usher the guests into said room.

As they all stood up and were being ushered, Alice's mother signalled to her youngest daughter to come with her into the hallway.

The girl's face fell, knowing that she hadn't exactly pleased her parents tonight.

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The servants down in the kitchen were busy either throwing away the leftovers or scrubbing the dishes. Assisting the scullery maids in bringing them the dirty cutlery, Reggie carefully navigated his way through the conglomerate of staff not dropping a single fork or spoon and handing it to the maids at the sink.

"Here you are Mrs Jones, now I'd better go see if my mother wants help." The boy approached the sink to where a thin woman wearing an old beige dress and apron, and hair tied up in a maid's cap, was washing some drinking glasses that were just brought back.

"Here mother" he took the glass from her and proceeded to dry it with a towel.

"Oh, thank you dear" his mother smiled. "Has the table upstairs been cleared yet?"

"The maids and footmen are doing it now." There was a pause. Reggie had something on his mind. Something that he really wanted to know about. "Mother, I've been wondering."

"What about darling?"

"Well it's just that it's been two months now, and we haven't received a letter from dad yet. I know you told me that the ship carrying the letters had sunk, but surely the replacement ship would've arrived by now?"

His mother stopped what she was doing and paused for a second, as if she was thinking what to say. "You know how the currents out on the sea are honey, they can be very unpredictable. It's probably on it's way right now, just delayed is all."

"I suppose. Our navies are the best on the globe but, I guess there are times where the sea fights back" the boy accepted, and another maid was about to pass by with a tray full of drinks for the guests.

"It's okay Mrs Langton, I'll take those" Reggie took the tray from her.

"Why thank you young lad" said Mrs Langton.

Reggie's mother then told him "Take those drinks up and you're relieved for the night dear."

He nodded and headed out the kitchen.

Mrs Langton turned to his mother. "You got a good 'un there Mrs Hargreaves. It's such a shame about his father though."

Mrs Hargreaves didn't reply, instead just looking down, rather sadly.

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Alice followed her parent into the hallway, out of earshot of the living room. She didn't look her mother in the eye and opted to keep her head facing down. She certainly wasn't going to enjoy this.

Her mother turned to face her, placing her hands on her hips. "Alice do you remember what I said to you yesterday?"

There was a pause before Alice replied. "I do mother."

"And what was it that I said Alice?"

The girl drew in a breath. "That I shouldn't talk about Wonderland in front of the guests."

"Precisely. You have completely embarrassed me and your father, as well as yourself. You are not to talk about such things in front of our acquaintances" her mother raised her voice slightly. "Do you have any idea how much this will hurt mine and your father's credibility?"

For some reason Alice became slightly offended at this. She huffed. "Credibility. Well I'm very sorry for you" she said sarcastically.

"Don't you take that tone with me young lady" warned her mother. "Not only have you acted very irresponsibly tonight, you've even failed to complete your homework."

Around the corner from the hallway, Reggie was just about to serve the drinks to the guests in the living room, when he heard his friend and her mother argue, and decided to curiously eavesdrop.

"You even embarrassed your sister in the process. Not only do you fail to present yourself well socially, you fail to complete your studies too. If you never take responsibility and think ahead Alice you will never achieve anything, like your sister has."

"She's only a teacher, it's nothing that amazing" argued Alice.

"It's more than what lies ahead for you in the future if this is your attitude. And that cat of yours, yesterday you said she fell into a stream."

"She fell from a tree, and we had to fish her out."

"We?" her mother raised an eyebrow.

"I! I had to fish her out" corrected Alice quite quickly, much to Reggie's, whom was still eavesdropping, relief.

"She could've drowned Alice, can't you even take care of one tiny cat?"

"She knows not to disobey me."

"Which is more than I can say for you. Oh why can't you be more like your sister?" questioned her mother.

"Well I'm glad she's so perfect" the girl folded her arms.

"And I wish you could be too" responded her mother, making her arms and face drop. Alice felt her stomach turning. Wasn't she good enough for her own parents?

"And until you start listening, and stop pretending that this silly little Wonderland dream actually happened, you are not to leave the house at all" her mother instructed, and this was really the thing that made her daughter really want to protest.

"What? But why not?"

"You have to learn Alice, and if you being kept in here is the only way so be it."

The blonde girl felt herself becoming upset. "But, I, you can't-"

"Yes I can Alice. Now upstairs" her mother pointed with one hand, keeping her other on her hip.

Not having any other arguments, and feeling her emotions about to take over, Alice ran past her mother and up the stairs, holding her arm against her face to stop her tears from falling.

The parent just sighed and shook her head, always hating when she had to be hard on her.

Reggie, who had listened in on most of this, was slightly dismayed at this too. This meant Alice couldn't come out to the meeting point for a good long while. No doubt she'd be up there right now crying to herself.

He then remembered he had drinks to serve, and decided, since he was now relieved for the night, to head up there and see if his friend was okay.

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Sat on the edge of her bed, the laces pulled out of her dress and big bow out of her hair, so now she was back in her normal blue dress and white apron, Alice had her face in her hands, crying silently into them. Well what else was she supposed to talk about at dinner? She was never any good at conversation starters, and always thought discussions about business and affairs were boring anyway. If anything, she was doing them all a favour by talking about riddles and Wonderland.

She then heard a knock at her door and someone quietly whisper "Alice? Alice can I come in?"

The girl recognised the voice and answered "Yes, yes come in."

Reggie, now changed out of his servant's uniform and back into his usual brown jacket, trousers and dirty white shirt, stepped in and had a look of sympathy on his face. "Quite a display you put on down there."

"You heard all that?" inquired Alice wiping her face with her handkerchief.

"The argument with your mother part yes" Reggie closed the door and sat next to her on the bed. "Was it just as bad at dinner?"

Alice sniffed. "It was incredibly boring for most of it. But the worst part was when the guests started to talk to me."

"And you talked about Wonderland?"

"Only about riddles and things such as un-birthdays. And they all thought I was mad" Alice continued to wipe her face.

Reggie put a hand to his chin. "Y'know, we still haven't finished that game of chess in the spare room upstairs. And I believe Dinah's still up there keeping an eye on the board for us."

"Yes, Dinah. I'd better go get her. And, I suppose there is some time before the guests leave and to finish our game" Alice put away her handkerchief and followed Reggie out of the room, as he put his arm around her shoulder to comfort her.

"So, do tell me Alice, what is an _un_ -birthday exactly?"

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Opening the door to the spare room, Alice was just finishing explaining everything to her working class friend. Her tears had stopped by now. "And therefore that leaves three hundred and sixty four days to be un-birthdays."

"Hm, I wish we got presents for those. I'd ask for a pound a day, then maybe I'd be as rich as you. Or maybe a ship I dunno" imagined Reggie, and Alice couldn't help but let out a small giggle.

Stepping over to the bed she picked up her feline pet and held her in her arms. "At least you've been a good girl tonight Dinah" Alice cooed. "You wouldn't believe what happened at dinner."

"Yes, well she seemed to have moved the pieces all around" realised Reggie kneeling down by the board. "Now where was this knight?"

"I wonder what you'd wish for an un-birthday Dinah? I know what I'd wish for. To at least see if there was another world out there, like, oh I don't know, like the one in the looking glass, it looks like another world doesn't it?" the girl walked over to the mirror above the fireplace. "It looks like ours but everything's reversed."

"Now where were the pawns? Alice do you remember?" asked Reggie still trying to sort out the chess pieces.

"Hm, what? Oh I'm not sure, I think that one was there" she turned to talk to him, whilst at the same time was about to put her hand on the mirror. "I think the bishop was there wasn't it? Because I remember you practically had me in a checkmate," while Alice was talking, her hand that she intended to press against the glass instead kept going.

"And there wasn't much of a game left anyway. There isn't really-," she paused. She had extended her arm, when the mirror was only supposed to right next to her. She turned and eyes widened when she saw that her arm had gone completely through the glass. Not in bad way, but like it was in the mirror itself.

She pulled it out instantly and examined it, and curiosity fully taking her over, she set Dinah down on a nearby chair, and pushed both her arms into the looking glass.

She waved them around, as if to test as if this was really real, and going a step further quite literally, she pulled her arms out and climbed onto the mantelpiece. "Reggie" she interrupted his ramblings.

"Yeah what?" he looked up to see his friend on top the fireplace. "Alice, what are you doing?"

"The looking glass" was all the blonde could say in her state of disbelief.

The boy stood up, not really sure of what she was trying to say. "What's interesting up on there-" he stopped mid sentence. As he was saying this, his friend had just completely stepped through the mirror, and was gone.

"A-Alice?" he rushed over to the looking glass and peered inside. He saw that on the inside of the mirror, his friend was standing there, large as life, just as amazed herself being in this other world.

"It's, I'm, I can't believe it" Alice spun around looking at the reversed world. "It's the same room, but backwards. Reggie can you hear me?"

The very confused and bewildered boy nodded slightly. "Yeah,"

"Come in, this is remarkable" ushered Alice.

Not sure quite what to do, the boy pretty much did the same as what his friend did. He placed one arm in and pulled out again, examining it. He turned to Dinah on the nearby chair. "If we don't come back Dinah, get help."

He then grabbed both ends of the mirror, pulled himself up to the mantelpiece, and taking one more hesitant pause, he stepped through following his friend's footsteps, into the backwards spare room of Alice's house.

This was unbelievable. He had listened to Alice talk about all these peculiar strange things and different worlds, but this, it was actually happening, to him. She was never making it up, this was real. This was actually real.

"There are other passageways, I knew it! I'm actually in another world again!" Alice proclaimed smiling very widely.

"I, I don't believe it" said Reggie putting his hand on his head. "Alice, we've, we've just gone through the looking glass."

 **Hello everyone, here's the second chapter of this fic. I hope you all like it. I gotta say, it's good to be writing for these two again, and I figured I'd add a bit more drama to this one. I loved writing the dinner scene. Apart from the first half of the twentieth century, the Victorian era is my favourite period in history. Now the story's kicked into gear.**

 **Alice in Wonderland belongs to Lewis Carroll, this version Disney.**


	3. The chess royals

It was the room. The spare room but backwards. Almost exactly how it looked in the mirror, except Dinah wasn't in there with them. The bed, the window, the door, even the chess board on the floor. Everything.

Whilst Alice was in a state of excitement, finally having been confirmed that she was right all along, her best friend was currently the opposite. Sure, he said he had believed Alice when she described all those strange and wonderful things that she claimed to have seen or having been to, which made sense given all the incredible creatures and amazing sights his own father talked about in his letters from abroad, but experiencing the world for himself? A world that deep in the back of his mind didn't think could be possible, but here it was.

While still in his trance of disbelief, his friend continued to scurry around the room like an excited puppy, smiling widely and clasping her hands together. "Oh isn't this wonderful Reggie? Finally nobody will be able to laugh at me."

Alice turned to look at the door of the backwards bedroom, raising one eyebrow. "Hm, I wonder if the rest of the house is backwards?" She ran to and turned the door knob.

"Wait Alice-" her friend called after her, and as she opened it, both herself and Reggie were taken aback slightly, as if anything they would have expected the other side of the door to be her hallway but reversed, just like this bedroom. However, what they were staring at was a grass field, much like the one by the lake at their meeting place.

A field with trees and flowers and how a general english countryside would look like. Without saying a word, Alice closed the door back up again. "Umm…." she had no words.

"Did you think it would have been-?"

"My hallway?" she finished his sentence. "I did indeed."

The working class boy took this opportunity to look and really observe the room he was in, instead of just looking at it in bewilderment. He soon noticed something. "That's not the only thing that isn't there Alice" he said gesturing to the floor. "The chessboard is gone."

Alice looked and it was true, the chessboard along with its pieces had vanished. Glancing up at the mantelpiece she noticed something too. "Look! Our reflections have returned!" she pointed to the looking glass, as when they first crossed through it, there was no reflection of them whatsoever.

Both running over to it, Alice pressed her hands on the solid glass. "It's, it's blocked. We can't go back."

Now both children began to panic slightly, with Reggie too thumping the glass with his palms. "Uh oh. This is bad. How on earth, or wherever, are we supposed to get back?"

Not answering his question, something else once more caught Alice's eye. A book on the mantelpiece that she swore was not there earlier. She opened it up, and though it was quite thick, it would only open to one page which on it was only a single poem, written backwards.

Meanwhile Reggie was still trying to search for some way he and Alice could possibly get back through the mirror, even at one point trying to move it away from the wall as if the portal was somehow behind it. Before he managed to though, he saw his blonde friend hold up the book standing with her back to the glass in order to read the writing on it.

"Twas Brillig, and the slithy toves, Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves, and the mome raths outgrabe." Alice finished reading, and couldn't help but remember; she had heard that somewhere before, hadn't she? She then only just noticed her friend come up beside her.

"That's certainly a peculiar worded poem, or passage" he commented.

"Believe me Reggie, if we are in the land that I think we are in, you're better off getting used to it" she advised. "There's more to this too. Six more verses of it."

"Are you going to read them?" asked Reggie.

The girl looked over the verses, with not the most enthusiastic expression on her face. She answered "Why waste time reading poems Reggie? When there's a whole other land just waiting for us outside." She put the book down and headed over to the door.

Reggie raised an eyebrow slightly. "Okay then" he said slowly and doubtfully, following her to the door, as she opened it once again and took her first step onto the grassy field, glancing all around at the land she had only been to once before.

He followed suit, and even he too couldn't help but let the awe overcome him. He looked back at where they had just exited. It was like the whole room of a house had been taken out and placed right slapbang in the middle of a field, as it literally was just like a cube with a door in the side of it.

Just like she was a moment ago, Alice was running around getting glimpses of everything in sight, just for the final time to confirm that she was right. "Who would have thought it? A passage to this world right in my very house."

She wondered if it had always been there. Surely if it had, it would've been discovered by now. It was the same with the rabbit hole, where she fell down it the first time, but the rest when she tried to crawl through it after, it was just a regular rabbit burrow. That didn't now, she was here, with a witness to prove it!

Turning around she grabbed her friend's attention as well as his hand. "C'mon Reggie, there's so much more to see."

Before she could pull him along, he protested "Whoa hold on Alice, we don't even know where we are, yet alone where we're going."

"Well then let's find out" Alice ushered him along pulling his right hand with both of hers into the nearby woods. She pulled him a few yards in and so far, for being a land which Alice described to be absolute nonsense, Reggie didn't really see anything as of yet that was really that strange. Apart from the whole room in the middle of a field, this land so far just seemed to be a normal group of trees and woods.

He turned to his friend who was still pulling him and asked her "Alice, where are we going?"

"Going? Why we're-, we're, hmm, I not actually that sure." She had stopped pulling him along at this point and let go of his hand. "I don't know. I just got so excited, that I wanted to see it all again. Now that I'm actually here, back in this land, I don't know quite what to do now" she confessed.

"And how do we know we're actually in that same land you described? Wonderland, as you called it" questioned Reggie. "For all we know this could be something entirely different."

This theory dawned on the blonde girl for the first time, and really started to consider if there were more secret lands that no one knew about. "Goodness, you're absolutely right Reggie, how do we know that this is the same land of nonsense that I-, Reggie?" When she looked over to her friend for answers, he seemed to be staring at something on the ground instead.

She came up beside him and glanced for herself. On the ground there was a line of insects, and although small, you could see that they were walking on their hind legs, with the leader insect at the front holding up a sign that read 'Sunlight or bust' on it.

A smiling Alice just looked at an amazed Reggie, with both unanimously agreeing to follow the line of bugs, who surprisingly moved quite fast for such little hind legs.

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Finally making their way out of the woods, they came out to a different field to where they were before, and in front of them, not too far away at the other end of the field, there laid a long hedge with seemed to be a gate in the middle.

"Look" Alice pointed. "Shall we go and see?" This was more of a rhetorical question as she already started walking towards the hedge, with Reggie still too confused and amazed to be question her at this moment, he just followed suit.

Walking down and up a hill, the children came to the gate in the hedge, with either side having two knights in silverish armour on horseback guarding. Each of them, crossed their spears blocking the entrance to the boy and girl as soon as they approached.

"Halt! You cannot enter!" said one of the knights in a rather funny accent.

"Dinner party between the chess royals is underway, no disturbing" declared the other.

"Oh, well I'm terribly sorry sir, but-, chess royals?" Alice inquired.

"Yes, both the white and red king and queens are having their victory meals right this moment" a knight informed. "And only guests are invited."

"Are you invited?" wondered Alice.

"Of course not" responded the other knight. "Our jobs are to protect the king and queens."

"But that means, you're knights, chess knights I mean, on your horses. Real life chess people" realised Reggie in wonderment. "Who would've thought it?"

"Are you questioning our existence boy?" the knight accused pointing his sword, causing the child to snap back into reality.

"No sir absolutely not-"

"Perhaps you would like to question our royals existence as well hmm?"

Intervening quickly, Alice spoke up and said "But how could he do that sir without meeting your royals?"

"We shall present you to them. Come with us" they demanded and ushered for the children to follow them.

As the both of them followed the knights through the gate, Reggie whispered to Alice "Good thinking Alice."

"That wasn't actually my original intention" she confessed whispering back. "But if it got us in."

Walking into some sort of garden surrounded by hedge, there was a table where four people, two dressed in white and two dressed in red. This was the white and red king and queen, gathered for a dinner and who appeared to be in the middle of some sort of bickering. At least the queens were.

"Oh dear oh dear, how can I and my fellow players ever compensate for this loss?" worried the white Queen looking over a little scepter in her hand.

"Now now my dear, you can never truly win, until you truly lose" advised the red Queen rather smugly.

"Hm, that's easy for you to say. Most of your legal moves may have been illegal if looked closely enough" the white Queen retorted.

"Ha! The only thing illegal about this was that statement!"

"Ladies, ladies, let's not bicker at such a dinner" calmed the white King spreading butter on an apple. "That's what the next game is for." He took a bite. "In fact that's what anything next _is_ for, to improve and learn from past events. Now, shake hands."

The Queens reluctantly did so. "Perhaps you should recruit some new pieces my dear" the red Queen suggested, once again very smugly.

"Maybe I shall, and we'll see who wins the next game."

"Pardon us your majesties" the knights announced coming in still on horseback. "But we have disrespectful intruders right here, with us." They both moved aside and Alice and Reggie could fully see the table holding the feast for the chess royals.

" _Disrespectful_ intruders?" the red King got up. "Now normally I can handle an unexpected guest or two, especially when it's two little dears like you, but being disrespectful and not having any manners? I can hardly stand for that."

"Forgive us, your majesty" Alice curtseyed to him. "But my friend here has never been to this land before."

"That doesn't mean you should disrespect it's laws and it's cultural practices" retorted the red King.

"Excuse me, your highness" it felt strange for Reggie to call this strangely dressed man that. "But I apologise for any inconvenience caused."

The red King looked him over. "What is your name child?"

"Reggie- uh, Reginald, Reginald Hargreaves sir" he bowed, deciding to use his full name in the presence of royalty.

"And you girl?"

"Alice Liddell, your highness" she curtseyed again.

"Well, now that formalities have been taken care of, and a sixth of apologies have been accepted,"

"A sixth?"

"Interrupting child" the King made Alice aware of what she did.

"Forgive me again, sir" Alice apologised.

"Goodness all these apologies!" the red King exasperated taking a seat on a nearby chair. "They won't do my old heart any good."

"What my husband means is my child" began the red Queen standing up. "Is that you've only apologised to him, but you have yet to do so to the rest of us."

There was a slight pause, as if the royals were awaiting that said apology, and after they were all said, much to the inconvenience and exhaustion of the two children, the red Queen gratefully thanked them and offered them seats at the table.

"So do tell me my children, what land exactly are you from?" asked the white King.

"From a country called England your highness" answered Alice, who was very much thrilled to be talking to the characters of this 'Wonderland' again.

"Is it a large one?" asked the King.

Alice at this point then turned to Reggie, knowing he would have a more factual response. "Well sir that really depends. On it's own England is quite a small country but when you count some of the lands that it's natives let us have in exchange for protection we have quite a large empire."

"Quite a fascinating world that sounds" remarked the red Queen. "I suppose it's only natural for a country to grow or shrink or become taller or smaller in size, but lands where natives just hand them to you, amazing!"

"How off the world did you ever make it to this one children?" wondered the white Queen, taking a knife and using it to un-slice bread.

"Through the looking glass your majesty, in a room just a couple of hills over back there" informed Alice. "If you don't mind me asking, your graces, are you four-"

Alice was cut off before she could finish her question by the white Queen. "Excuse me child but I believe the host asks the questions first."

"But I thought it was customary to let the guests ask something first?" Alice inquired.

"In your country perhaps, but here we do things the right way round" retorted the white Queen. "So, you were saying, this room with a looking glass?"

"Why yes, a room right in the middle of a field. It was a spare bedroom just like one in my house, with a bed, a dresser, a mantelpiece with books, everything."

"Books hm? Books about what?" the red King wondered.

"Well it would only open to one page sir, with only one poem" replied the girl.

"Something titled, Jabberwocky I believe" Reggie remembered but as soon as the word left his mouth all the table jumped back slightly with the sound of chairs scuttling from the floor. Literally scuttling away as in hiding. The cutlery too. Both kids fell to the floor upon this happening.

All four of the royals were quick to compose themselves. "We have no idea what that is" stated the white King.

Climbing back up to the table, the children rubbed their heads and asked "Then why the reaction?"

"What reaction?"

"Jumping away like that. Look even the chairs are hiding" Reggie pointed, and the white Queen whistled to them, summoning the furniture and cutlery back like border collies.

Taking their seats again the chess royals all sat back calmly and replied "The furniture and cutlery wasn't hiding."

"Yes they were" Reggie insisted.

"He said chairs, he never said cutlery" Alice pointed out.

"Hm, well played child. Very well if must know, you must be told. Follow me" the white King beckoned with his finger and stood up from the chair. Exchanging a glance Alice and Reggie followed the King who took them a full 360 around the table before ending back up to where they were again.

"Now, listen closely." The two children didn't even have time to question what the point of following him was before he started to whisper. "Only corpses have seen a creature so fierce."

"It's, a beast?" Reggie implied.

"Aye! Beware the Jabberwock my son! The jaws the bite, the claws that catch!" he put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun the Frumious Bandersnatch."

"Goodness. Do they, do they live around here?" gulped Alice.

"They live around anywhere. There have been many sightings, and hearings, and feelings and smellings and tastings of this beast" the white King said very quietly and very seriously. "But nothing of the sort in my kingdom I assure you" he announced suddenly uplifting his tone.

"Your kingdom? It is not your kingdom until you've won it" the red King reminded him speaking up.

"That's right, you're a chess kingdom, am I correct?" asked Alice, her interest and curiosity peaking again.

"Indeed my child" smiled the red Queen.

"A whole chess themed kingdom, where it's citizens are all chess pieces who play a giant game. And the land is the board, right?" Reggie realised, starting to like the whole idea of it.

"Most of our land is yes. This place happens to be one end of the board, and we are currently in the middle of a victory dinner, at least for me and my husband anyway" informed the red Queen, grinning smugly again. "These other two however, might be in the need of some new players."

"And I think we have them" the white Queen stood up from her chair and walked over to the children.

"We do?" inquired her husband.

"You do?" repeated the red King and Queen.

"Yes" the white Queen turned and knelt down to Alice and Reggie's eye level. "How would you both, like me to make you pawns in our next game? You'll play for my side and try to capture the red King over there along with other players of mine."

"You mean, participating in a life sized game of chess?" Alice clasped her hands together.

"And of course if you make it to the other end of the land you'll be crowned Queens."

Alice couldn't help but giggle. "You hear that Reggie? You'll be a Queen."

"I think _Prince_ is a more suitable term for him" suggested the white Queen.

The blonde girl turned to her friend and put both of her hands on his. "Shall we Reggie? Oh just think of it, what it'll be like to be a piece on a board maneuvering and capturing other pieces, just like the games we played, only this time, we won't be moving the pieces, we'll _be_ the pieces. Won't it be fun?"

Even as good as Alice made it sound, Reggie's face was enough to tell her he had doubts about this. "I-I'm not sure Alice" he whispered so the white Queen wouldn't hear. "Do we know what we're getting ourselves into? Remember how you told me you got lost last time you were here?"

"I know I did, but I eventually found my way out on my own. Please Reggie, just think, you'll be like your father, exploring new lands, and being a part of an army, helping to win new territory, meeting local natives and all the other wonderful things you've described."

"I-, I will?" he asked with a glimmer of interest. Now that had his attention.

"I've never been to this part of Wonderland before Reggie, we can discover it together. The first people from Britain to reach this new land" she enticed.

The boy didn't say anything, instead just stared at the ground in deep thought for a second. "Like captain James Cook or John Cabot. Like my father." He looked up at the word 'father', and he relented. "Alright, I'll be a pawn with you, and help you win the next game" he told his friend and the white Queen.

Alice smiled brightly and jumped a little. "Oh thank you Reggie."

"When does the next game start?" asked the boy turning to the Queen.

"About ten seconds ago, hurry hurry children, you don't want to miss your train" she ushered them along with her hands.

"What-?" Alice tried to say as she was being pushed along by the royal.

"You will both serve as the same pawn, and as the rule states, you can travel two squares on your first move. The train will move you there."

"What train?" asked Reggie as the white Queen stopped pushing them and moved towards the surrounding hedge, pushing two halves of it aside like curtains, revealing a steam train and a platform behind it.

"Hop aboard children, we have a game to commence."

"But what about the red king and queen?" Alice wondered but as she looked back she saw that they were gone.

"They left while you two were discussing whether to join. Age is not a factor in speed you know." The white Queen pushed them both into a cabin on the train and waved to them. "Farewell now children, and good luck! Try your best to capture pieces and help us win the game!"

The train began to move and made the usual noises a steam train would, puffing and the wheels turning. The little garden they were just in moved further and further away, and Alice and Reggie both glanced at the other, with the boy beginning to understand Alice's crazy experience here.

 **Hey everyone, sorry this one's a little late. I gotta say, I had some crazy writer's block on this one. Not just this chapter, but for how the rest of the story was going to turn out. Unlike my original fanfic, I figured this one should have minimal narrative to it, like the books and the original Disney film. What I mean by that is, there won't be _too_ much of a plot, but it will still have enough events to make the story interesting and progress, like meeting other characters for example, or making moves in the giant chess game. I hope that's okay with you guys.**

 **Alice in Wonderland belongs to Lewis Carroll, this version Disney.**


	4. Train ride and Humpty Dumpty

Poking their heads out the window of the train, Alice and Reggie saw that it was not running on a track, rather on it's own like a carriage would. "I hope this is safe" the boy admitted.

"I'm sure it will be if the conductor is employed by royalty" Alice assured.

Putting their heads back inside, the children glanced around at the empty cabin, which surprisingly looked just like a normal train cabin back home. "Wow" Reggie couldn't help but say to himself taking a seat. "So this is what it looks like."

"It's just a normal train cabin Reggie" pointed out Alice, balancing herself whilst standing as the train moved. "I travel in these all the time."

"I know, it's just that I've never been in a cabin this fancy before. Especially an empty one. It's always so crowded. That time, when your family went on that holiday to Weymouth," he remembered as Alice managed to sit herself down next to him. "That entire journey was extremely cramped. I was glad when I was finally able to get out."

"Hm" Alice furrowed. "I always thought it was like this for _all_ of the train." She sat back, as she began to reminisce too. "But yes, I do remember that holiday to Weymouth, and how you came along with the rest of the servants." She sighed "It was such a shame that we couldn't play together once we were there. If not our families, all the other people in Weymouth would've seen us together."

"I would've loved to have explored Bowleaze cove with you, and the harbour" he regretted.

"Perhaps next time we're out in public without our families I should wear a disguise" Alice joked with a little laugh, though with a tone which almost made sound like it was a question too.

There was a brief silence between the two, and it wasn't until Alice's curiosity got the best of her, getting up from her seat and heading to the door of the next cabin, to which Reggie then questioned "Woah where are you going now?"

"This leads into the next passenger cabin right? And since no one else boarded when we got on, then surely there shouldn't be any- oh!" as Alice pushed the door open, she was greeted with the sight of several small little men all dressed in unusual white clothing and little hats.

Some of them turned to each other. "Who's this one? She doesn't look like a pawn."

Reggie stood up and walked over behind his friend. "Don't tell me there's actually other….passengers?"

"And he looks less of a pawn than she does" added another.

"No wait, these must be the special pawns just chosen by the Queen" a pawn leaned over his seat informing the others.

"How could they know that? The Queen only put us on the train a minute after she made us pawns" Reggie whispered.

"Why in that case" one of the pawns stood up and walked towards them. "Welcome to the game! I must say it's an unusual choice to pick two people like you as pawns, but, I won't question her majesty's decisions." He shook Alice's hand. "I assume you know the rules of chess" he walked back down the aisle of the cabin.

"Well yes we do-"

"Of course you would! Very stupid otherwise to come to a kingdom of chess games if you don't know how to play. So, just do your best out there, and be good support for the more important pieces" he advised putting his hand on the doorknob at the cabin's other end. "Anyways, you'd best be getting back to your seats now."

"But our seats are back there, the cabin where we just came from" Alice stepped back to the other door and turned it to open.

"Wait child I wouldn't go that way!" the pawn tried to warn her as she opened the door and almost fell out, as the cabin the children had just come from had disappeared completely.

"Alice!" Reggie grabbed a hold of her just in time and pulled her back.

The girl took a few breaths to recover. "What? Where did-?" she said inbetween panting.

"Your cabin's back that way!" informed the pawn.

"But that's impossible, we came from this way" replied Reggie very confused.

"That doesn't mean you're cabin hasn't changed. C'mon, come this way" the pawn lead the two humans back down the aisle and pushed them through the other door. As it shut behind them Alice and Reggie glanced back at the new cabin, looking exactly like the one they were first in.

"But how-?" Alice ran to the other door at the other end of this cabin, stepping through it.

"Alice would you just slow down?" her bewildered friend chased after her, only for him to step through into an empty cabin. "Alice? Alice where are you?"

Inside another cabin somewhere, the blonde girl was wondering the exact same thing. "Reggie?" she pushed the door she had just come through back open, and again, it had no one in there. "Reggie where on earth did you go?"

Both children began a sequence of running through and into different cabins, each of which ending up back where they started. Alice at one point entered through a door and into the front of the train itself where the driver was, and was quickly ordered to go back to the cabins.

Reggie had no better luck himself. First he walked into a cabin where three ampormorthic animals were sat. A Fox wearing a hat, a Badger sipping some tea, and an Alligator reading a newspaper. He politely and very quickly apologised and headed through the door at the other end, only for the working class boy to fall face first directly into the coal trailer.

Apart from hurting all over, the boy was more frustrated with both the fact he was nowhere nearer to Alice, and that he was now covered all over in coal. 'Oh well' he figured. 'Not much different from chimney sweeping.'

He leapt back into the door somehow, and came out at the train's other end, the caboose, where he accidently bumped into someone. "Sorry I-, Alice there you are!"

Standing on the end of the caboose as well, was the girl he'd been searching for, and whom jumped back a bit herself. "Oh! Reggie? Where have you been?" she asked concerned and relieved at the same time. "And, what is that all over your face?"

"I, might have fell into the coal trailer behind the steam engine" he admitted in quite an honest tone, wiping some of the soot from his eyes.

"Never" smiled his friend putting her fingers to her hands stifling a giggle.

Then all of a sudden, the two of them heard the train's whistle blow and a voice from the front call out: "Hold on tight! We're approaching the hurdle!"

"Hurdl-aaall!" the train violently leapt straight over a hedge in the exact same way a horse would, causing the both of them to fall straight off the caboose and land into a field of wet grass, which surprisingly, and miraculously, broke their fall.

Rolling through the wet dew, it took the boy and girl a couple of seconds to get their heads to stop spinning. "Oh my-, I don't I've ever had a train journey quite as exciting as that" said Reggie standing himself up and walking over to Alice and offering his hand. "But in future, crowded cabins don't seem like a bad alternative."

He helped her up and the two brushed themselves off. "What kind of a train jumps? Let alone go without a track" wondered Alice brushing the grass off her. "Oh well, look on the bright side Reggie, the dew seems to have washed all that coal off" she pointed and the boy looked over himself, and then to the ground, seeing coal stains on the grass blades.

"Hm, well, we seem to have arrived at our destination. Look the train has, er, landed, over there by those trees." They turned and saw all the little pawns stepping off and heading into different parts of the field. Some went left, and some went right.

"Where on earth are they going? I thought-, unless," the curious blonde hurried over to the hedge that the train had just leapt over and called over to her friend "Could you give me a boost Reggie please?"

Elevating herself on both of his hands, Alice glanced over the green brambles and looked out to the series of fields all around her. "What can you see?" wondered her friend down below.

"My word, it really is a chessboard! The entire land is cut into squares with a hedge on each side of it!" she observed all the land's patterns.

"And we should be in the fourth row about now shouldn't we?" Reggie remembered, as pawns usually began on the second square, and they had moved two.

"Indeed. And judging by the other pawns, this looks as so this square is ours." Alice jumped down and started to think about what their first, well second, move for the game would be, putting a finger to her chin and her eyes looking upward. "Now let's see, where to go?"

"I wouldn't think too much Alice, as pawns we can only move one square at a time. For now I think it's best we just move to the other end of this, 'square'" suggested Reggie looking out and beyond the trees in front of them.

"Well alright, but I doubt we're going to accomplish much that way" Alice shrugged her shoulders and started to walk forward into the field.

"Or at all, pawns don't really serve that much of a purpose" Reggie commented back walking alongside her.

"Never set yourself a limit Reggie, you'll find that you'll achieve far more than ever once put in the right circumstance. Remember when Napoleon returned to the French army and unexpectedly took back power?"

"True, though he had already won them several victories before." Both children entered the woods and climbed and jumped over logs and fallen trees.

"Yes, but if it was never for the revolution then he never would've had the chance in the first place." They passed several animals. Ones that had wheels for legs and hooks for hands,which they used for climbing the trees and pouncing onto prey.

"Oh look! A clearing!" Alice suddenly pointed and ran forward towards what seemed to be an opening in the forest. "Hopefully we should be able to find our way to the end of square from out here and- umph!" Not looking where she was going, Alice knocked herself straight into a solid surface which felt like brick and fell onto the grass floor.

"What on earth-?" she rubbed her face, checking for any cuts or damage, before glancing upwards to see a painted brick wall wobbling from the impact, with an unusual figure sat atop it trying to balance himself.

"Woah, woah, will you please watch where you are going child! It will not do to have myself fall."

Alice got herself up as Reggie just then stepped out of the bushes and trees into the clearing, with him too looking up at the strange man on the structure. It wasn't really a man, but more of an egg sort of creature, wearing clothing on his bottom half, and had arms and legs, as well as a face too on his top half.

"Reggie" Alice whispered. "This couldn't be-"

"Honestly, the children where I come from have far better manners than this. You two could've knocked me right off!" the egg shaped man scorned.

"I'm terribly sorry sir, but why is your wall painted like the grass? I wouldn't be able to tell it was there from a distance" Alice questioned.

"It's camouflage Alice" informed Reggie standing next to her. "The soldiers do this to either surprise attack or hide from their enemies."

"Your friend is correct girl, being born a fragile egg requires one to take extra precautions. I think I am going to like the way this boy thinks."

"Though why are you sat on top of it if you are this fragile?" asked said boy completely contradicting the egg shaped man.

With a frown the egg replied "It is none of your business why I sit atop here. I'm not asking you two any personal questions now am I? What are you doing in these woods anyhow?"

"Well you see sir, the reason we're in these neck of the woods is because-" Reggie was swiftly interrupted when the egg man cut him off.

"Neck? _Neck!_ Are you trying to make fun of me child?" he demanded.

"No no, Mr Dumpty sir, we are both very sure you have a neck underneath that, belt of yours" Alice tried to explain, but this did not work.

"Belt? This is not a belt child, this is a Cravat. Do either of you have an ounce of a brain?"

"Of course we do!" replied Alice defensively. "In fact the reason why we are in these woods, before you so rudely interrupted us, is because the white king and queen themselves appointed us as pawns for their chess game." The girl folded her arms in some sort of victory stance.

"The white king and queen-, well why didn't you two say so. Their horses and men put me back together again whenever I fall."

"I thought the nursery rhyme said that they couldn't?" the boy remembered.

"They've recently increased their medical technology, though not by much." Humpty did a sort of bow to them whilst still sat on the wall and keeping his balance. "In that case children, I will supply you with any information that you wish to know, unless you want to go straight ahead on your way?"

"Supply? I think you mean _offer_ us some information" Alice corrected.

"No my girl, supply. Knowledge is a useful thing to use in the future. Knowing your enemy can be half as deadly to them as a musket or as a sword can be."

Reggie was just about to ask him where, and what, this land exactly was. Quite unusual to find an entire land/country themed completely for chess right at their doorstep, which can only be accessed through a looking glass or a rabbit hole. But before he could say anything at all, his friend spoke up and blurted out the question "Well I was wondering what a Jabberwocky was."

At this, Humpty Dumpty became paler than he already was. And his offering smile transformed completely into a terrified frown. He shook his hands dismissively. "I- I have no inclination of what that is child! I do not pay attention to the likes of beasts and such!"

"Then, how do you know the Jabberwocky is a beast?" Reggie raised an eyebrow.

"It's just that the king and queen didn't exactly explain it to us other than the fact that it was a creature of some sorts, with frightening claws and-"

"That poem is none of my concern or business or association!" Humpty interrupted Alice.

"So you do know the poem?" Reggie inquired.

"I never mentioned a poem!"

"Yes you di-"

"Hurry along now children! Or would you like me to inform your opponent's pawns of your location?" the giant egg threatened, wobbling due to his obvious terror he was trying to keep down.

Knowing that not be very convenient this early in the game, both Alice and Reggie decided it was best not to press the matter any further, and leave this egg to, sit here. "Maybe we should be on our way now Alice, I think we've taken enough of Mr Dumpty's time."

"Yes you do that children. Oh but one more thing," he leaned and whispered. "If you see the king or queen anytime soon, ask them if their horses and men could use an alternative to nails."

"We'll keep that in mind" Reggie called back as he lead Alice away out of the clearing and into the trees on the other side. "No wonder he's so grumpy" he whispered.

"Pompous little defensive thing, but I have to say, he too seemed very frightened at the mere mention of that poem. The Jabberwocky, or whatever. All I know now is that I certainly don't ever want to meet that horrible creature in person if the mere mention of it strikes fear into people's hearts" Alice confessed stepping over oddly shaped branches alongside her friend.

"Much like the beasts of the Serengeti, but one thing does trouble me Alice."

"What's that?"

"We're pawns right? So if another piece decides to 'take us', what happens exactly?"

 **Wow I haven't updated in a long time, I'm really sorry about that, so many directions this story can go in, deciding which character they'll meet first, what moves in the giant chess game they'll make etc. I really did enjoy writing the train scene though, and the humpty dumpty part was pretty fun. Again, sorry for the long wait.**

 **And thanks to Redhood001, glad to hear you like it. And to James Birdsong as well.**

 **Alice in Wonderland belongs to Lewis Carroll, this version Disney.**


	5. Butterflies and Ant hills

The trees and plants never seemed to cease twisting and turning as the children continued their trek through the ever growing thicker forest. "They should call it that y'know" remarked Alice. "The thicker woods."

"As long as we keep moving forward, that's the main thing" Reggie optimistically encouraged, pushing branch after branch out of this way. Truth be told, deep down Reggie was loving this. This was exactly how he imagined it'd be like through an African jungle.

Alice on the other hand was having the opposite experience. Ironic, since she was the one who persuaded him to endeavor on this whole 'game' in the first place. "The problem is, forward can also mean-," Alice breathed, "Straight ahead from the direction you are currently facing."

She lifted her skirt slightly to step over a curley branch. Not that it helped. It was such an odd shape that she tripped over it anyway, falling face first into the mud. Hearing the splash behind him, her friend turned and shook his head, stepping over to her and offering his hand to her. "Are you okay there?"

Pushing her blonde bangs out the way, she took his hand and steadied herself up. "Oh there must be some better way of doing this. It wasn't nearly as difficult navigating through the forest last time" she complained dusting herself off.

"Didn't you say you got lost last time?" Reggie remembered.

"Well, yes, I might've gotten a little turned around the first time, but can you blame me? With such a place as this. Now, how to figure where we're going?"

"Well like I said before, just keep heading forward and-, hm, that's odd. Does this look different to you?" the boy turned to see a completely changed view of the path he had just been brushing himself across, even though he only turned his back for a few seconds.

"How are we ever going to complete this chess game when obstacles like this keep popping up? If only there were-, of course!" Alice knelt down back to where she had just fallen, and delicately picked one single tiny mushroom from the ground and immediately held it up to Reggie. "Now" she began "Take one bite of one side, and it should make us grow. That way we'll be able to see where to head to."

Her confused friend however just stared at the plant she was holding up. "Did you just pick that off the ground?"

"Oh relax Reggie I know what I'm doing." Straight away as she said that, she took a bite of the mushroom and immediately shot upwards breaking all branches along the way, startling her bewildered and unexpecting companion who fell back and could only look up at his giant of a friend, her face seeming so far away that he had to put his hand above his eyes to shield them from the sun.

"There" said Alice taking a glance at herself. "Now to look for the next chess square." The giant girl looked around above the tree tops, and indeed she saw chess squares, but what she seemed to be forgetting and only just occurred to her, was that they were in the middle of the board, they were surrounded by squares. Which one was the one forward?

She didn't consider that. Although she was walking in a direction with Reggie just now, the scenery had changed so much that they didn't know if that was the same direction anymore. 'What do I do now?' she wondered. Looking back down at her friend whom she forgot was there for a second, she called "Reggie, could you hand me the mushroom please?"

Reggie could hear alright, her voice louder than ever. He had just been examining the mushroom himself out of curiosity to match his friend's. He then held it up as high as he could so she could bend down and reach it. However, as she attempted to take it between her finger and thumb, being so large and the mushroom being so little, she crushed the plant into crumbs upon taking it, which fell directly to the floor. There was a pause between the two children, both looking at each other after what just happened.

Reggie finally spoke up "Please don't try to pick me up Alice."

"W-What am I going to do now?" worried the giant girl. "I can't be stuck like this! I might get mistaken for a serpent again!"

Looking around and upwards, the boy shouted up "Try eating something else! You said you ate a carrot last time and shrank didn't you? Some fruits grow at the tops of trees, look for some!"

Following his advice, Alice spotted a bundle of grapes, growing on a tree and not a vine oddly enough, and took a bite of half of it and immediately descended down all the way past Reggie and right onto the soil among the grass blades. Still very confused, the working class boy knelt down, and scooped up the tiny human who was sitting in his palms not looking particularly pleased with herself.

"Would you like me to carry you?" offered Reggie finally getting over his bewilderment.

Slightly embarrassed, Alice innocently replied "Would you please?"

The boy was just about to turn to walk, when Alice, despite being so small, noticed miniature puffs of smoke rising up from a plant not too far away. She recognised it, and immediately knew who it was. That's who they could ask for help. "Wait Reggie wait!" she got his attention and he stopped to see what she wanted. "Down there!" she pointed, as he too saw the smoke arising from the flowers.

"Take a bite of one of those grapes I dropped, you should become small like me" she instructed him Hesitantly, Reggie stepped over to where the bundle of grapes had landed when Alice had shrunk and picked one off it's stalk, setting his friend down on a rock nearby below. Well, if it didn't do any harm to her, he might as well.

He bit the grape, and just like Alice, he felt himself shrink all the way down right onto the same rock she was on and almost lost his balance upon impact. He would've fallen off if Alice hadn't grabbed his arm and prevented him so.

"Woah this is, this, this is remarkable" he breathed, glancing around at his new enlarged surroundings.

"You'll get used to it" smiled Alice before taking his hand and leading him off the rock.

"Who would've thought, food that can make you grow or become smaller just like that" commented the boy. "Mum used to say carrots could make you see better and things like that but I always thought that was just to get me to eat them." It was then he remembered Alice was dragging him somewhere, presumably to where the smoke was coming from. "So where are we going again?"

"You'll see. Remember how I used to tell you about the talking caterpillar? Well that's who we're going to see."

"Is that smoke coming out in the shape of letters?" Reggie noticed.

"Yes it is. And he should be right here, right over-," Alice pushed a blade of grass aside only to see a flower with nothing on it except an odd blue shape, smoke puffs emitting from it. "Um, oh, I could've sworn that the caterpillar would've been here-" suddenly the odd blue shape unfolded, making the girl jump back a bit, as it revealed itself to be a butterfly, smoking on a long pipe, and whom Alice finally recognised. "Of course!" she said back to Reggie. "He turned into a butterfly last time I saw him." She led him closer to the flower.

It was at this point upon them approaching, the caterpillar, or butterfly, turned and noticed the pair. He flew upwards, steadying himself on the flower and breathing out several different coloured puffs of smoke exactly in the shape of: "Who, R, U, 2, ?"

Alice answered whilst Reggie brushed the smokey question mark off his jacket. "Don't you remember me Mr caterpill-, Mr butterfly?"

"No" he shrugged off turning his back to her.

"I'm that girl. Y'know, How doth the little crocodile improve his shining tail? And pour the waters of the Nile with every shining scale?"

"That's, not how it's spoken" remarked Reggie looking to her.

"I know. He 'improved' it."

"So, you finally learned to speak it correctically" the butterfly said turning back around.

"So you do remember me?"

"I do" he blew out another puff. "But I don't remember, him" he gestured with his pipe toward Reggie.

"Oh no you wouldn't sir, this is Reggie, he's quite new to this land."

"How do you do sir?" the boy asked.

"How do I do what?" rebuffed the butterfly.

"Well it's, just a greeting."

"A very odd greeting" the blue insect remarked. "What kind of greeting asks someone how they go about their day?"

"Isn't that just common courtesy?" Reggie questioned.

"It seems there are still one or two things" he breathed out a 1 and a 2, "for you to learn boy."

"I think there are a few things this land could learn" Reggie put his hands on his hips.

"Mr Butterfly," said Alice changing the subject. "We would like to know, where is the next chess square that we should advance to?"

"That all depends which way you want to go."

"I was afraid you'd say that."

"Why?" A smokey 'Y' came out. "How could one possibly be afraid of words?"

"I don't know, that Humpty Dumpty fellow seemed pretty frightened at that Jabberwock thing we mentioned-"

Reggie once again couldn't finish a sentence as the butterfly sputtered out his pipe and choked on the smoke which was now black, fluttering his wings around frantically before finally landing on all of his feet. "One hundred and seventy degrees, to you're right." He blew out 170 with the degree symbol. "Now hurry along!" he raised his voice.

Taken aback slightly that this happened again with someone else in this land, the children briefly glanced at the other before stepping backwards into the grass.

"Um, thank you very much sir," she quickly curtseyed, but being Alice, she wanted to know something else. "But do you mind, what is the Jabberwock exactly?"

"I don't know exactically what it is! Now head off!" he shouted turning red and flapping his wings flying himself away.

Staring off in the direction he flew in, Reggie was the first to break the ice. "Does every creature in Wonderland emotionally overreact to everything?" he couldn't help but smirk and put his hands behind his back.

"Only when it's to me" she replied in monotone sarcastic voice.

Putting their arms together to make some sort of centre, Alice and Reggie in their own childlike way figured out where 170 degrees was, and confirmed it. They began to head in that direction.

"Now we need some way of becoming big again" said Alice. "Another mushroom maybe. Because that chat with the butterfly certainly didn't help."

"Bear in mind it isn't just Wonderland, you seem to have a real way with conversation even in the real world. Even before you came to this land for the first time" observed the working class boy, as he walked alongside her. "I remember when, at just eight years old, you convinced the maid in your house that Dinah was stuck up the chimney, just so I could sneak a bar of chocolate out of the pantry and into your room" he chuckled.

"You remember back that far?" she looked up at him, an eyebrow raised.

"Of course I do. Some of my fondest memories are with you. You and my father of course. All those times he took me down to the harbour. But just following you around provided just enough of an adventure. I mean, I am now currently three inches high, strolling through blades of grass as if it were Greenwich park, and just had an argument with a tobacco smoking insect. I only hope I find things like that again when I leave England."

"Leave?" Alice turned her head. "You want to leave England?"

"Well, yeah, I'm planning to when I'm old enough. Become a redcoat, protect the natives of foreign lands, and all the other things that they do" he admitted.

Alice said very unsurely now looking down at the ground. "But, what if there's a war or something? Like that, cremation war-"

"Crimean war"

"Crimean war that happened over ten years ago?"

"Well my father was injured in that, but he survived. Treated by a very lovely nurse."

Alice's thoughts went to Reggie's father. He may have survived that, but-.

"Watch out!" she suddenly found herself being stopped by her friend putting his arm out in front of her, as a giant leaf fell right in front of the two. It was a normal sized leaf but at that size it was very hazardous.

"Sorry about that!" a voice came up from above.

Both Alice and Reggie glanced to see up above on a stalk, a large red ant, waving to them and climbing his way down, picking up the fallen leaf with incredible strength with his two front mandibles. "You two might want to make way for the line" the ant advised with his mouth full.

"Line?" The children stepped back and were met with a whole line of ants, all carrying leafs that were bigger than them towards one destination. "Leaf cutter ants" the kids said at the same time.

"And what do leaf cutter ants feed on?" smirked Reggie as he and Alice looked at the other.

"Fungus."

"Excuse me, but do you need any help with those?" Alice offered getting the ants attention.

"Don't see why not" said one of the ants holding a leaf with his mandibles. "Just be careful bringing it up the hill, they're our lifelines."

The children saw an old torn off leaf laying on the ground beside them, which Alice tried to pick up and attempted to hold above her head, but at this size it was heavier than it looked and she almost lost her balance if not for Reggie grabbing a hold of it as well. Together, they managed to hold the leaf upright, marching along in line with the other ants.

"Almost to home base men! The Queen will no doubt be grateful for our tremendous collection today! Ready!" The ant at the front shouted back at the rest as they seemed to near a large mound of dirt.

They sang as they approached:

" _OH, The grand old duke of York!_

 _He had ten thousand men!_

 _He marched them up to the top of hill,"_

The Ants began climbing up.

" _And he lead them in the den!"_

All the leaf cutters leapt into the large hole at the top of the ant hill mound, jumping right in. When Alice and Reggie reached that point, they took a look at each other and shrugged as to say: 'Ah what the heck'. And followed the ants right in, using the leaf as a parachute.

" _And when the leaves are cut up!_

 _And when they're transported down!"_

The two humans watched in amazement as the ants carried out their tasks as natural as Bees making honey.

" _And when they're in the fungi dens,_

 _The fungus is up not down!"_

"By the way Reggie, were you humming along to that?" Alice teased.

"N-no, of course I wasn't. That's just silly" he denied looking away.

"Oh but look! All of them marching and carrying out their tasks, just like the servants at the house-, The house!" it suddenly occurred to Alice. "Reggie, what if they realise we're gone? What if my mother, father, or the servants come to check on me and see that I'm not in my room? And you? Your poor mother. What will happen when she goes home and finds you're not there?"

This thought did make the boy wonder. "That's right. How long have we been gone?"

"Last time I, quote unquote, 'left' Wonderland, it wasn't long after I first saw the white rabbit, and then I woke up under the tree."

"D'ya think the same thing will happen this time?"

"Hm, it's possible. My sister didn't seem to notice my absence at any point the last time."

"Are you worried about your family? I mean, do you want to go back?" asked Reggie, and Alice thought about this. She remembered the argument with her mother just before she ran upstairs, and bickering with her sister at dinner, embarrassing herself in front of all those stuck up toffs and those other girls making fun of her, and giggling at her. Her demeanour entirely changed.

"It's just that I would really like to explore this land and finish the chess game before we-"

"No" she interrupted him.

"Hmm?"

"I don't want to go back. At least not right now. They're most probably complaining and gossiping about me down in the lounge right now with all the others. Laughing at the idea of this land. Well look where we are now. And yes, we are going to finish this chess game." Alice stepped down from the small mound of dirt they were currently stood on and headed for one of the ant tunnels.

A little surprised at her attitude, Reggie didn't even question where she was going now, instead just following her dragging the leaf behind him. "Y'know, I was also gossiped about by those girls."

"Exactly. All the more reason for you to come along with me isn't it" the girl replied. "Besides, that was only one time. They make fun of me multiple times. What they said about you wasn't even that bad."

"Well-"

Suddenly, before Reggie could respond, several holes were pierced in the tunnels and the ant mound letting in light from the outside, followed by the buzzing noise of wings, which sounded a lot louder and the children's current height. Alice and Reggie turned to see the ants scrambling, as one of them shouted: "It's the dragonflies!"

"Dragonflies?" the kids looked at the other and ran to the end of the tunnel to see the winged creatures invade the ant mound. They got a good look at them. They were literal tiny dragons that looked like the mythical Chinese dragons on insect wings. They breathed smoke too. "Dragonflies."

 **Hey guys, I know it's been a long time since I updated this fic. I wanted to finish my other fanfic first. But anyway, now we're back on track with this one, as Alice and Reggie continue with their chess game. I gotta say, it's quite fun to write this fic, I'm just have fun with it really with stuff I can come up with, like the leaf cutter ants for example, which weren't in the book or movie but something I came up with.**

 **I also enjoy writing the interactions between our two heroes. They both sort of have a childlike innocence about them, each with a different perspective on the world, which is what makes their conversations interesting. Anyway, great to be back on this.**

 **Alice in Wonderland belongs to Lewis Carroll, this version Disney.**


	6. The Dodo's ship

**Hello everyone! Again, I feel like we've been here before, but I'm terribly sorry for being a month late in updating. Especially with that cliffhanger at the end of the last chapter. I'll try not to take so long next time though I say that everytime don't I. I'll be sure to update sooner next time.**

 **But anyway in this chapter we get to go on a ship ride, and by the way, have you all ever listened to the full Yankee Doodle song?**

 **Listen to this: watch?v=qYcy0Y9Hu-A Whilst reading the song part, it'll give you the full experience as if you're actually watching a movie, believe me.**

 **Anyway sorry again. Alice in Wonderland belongs to Lewis Carroll, this version Disney.**

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"They're back! They're back! The dragonflies are here!" The ants scurried around frantically upon the four dragon insects breaking through. There was yelling and shouting from the leaf cutter creatures as they were filled with fear.

Alice and Reggie were pushed back against the side of the dirt wall in the chaos. Watching the dragons shoot fire from their nostrils at the ground.

"Quick, hide you children!" they were both carried off by the swarms of ants heading their way.

"But what do they want?" Alice managed to blurt out whilst being carried by the stampede.

"Our fungus of course! They want our fungus!" Suddenly they came to split in the tunnels, and Alice and Reggie were both carried off by separate streams of ants.

"Reggie!" "Alice!" They both called out for each other.

Eventually, both stampedes came to a halt, cowering at the ends of their tunnels. The working class boy managed to roll off of the ants and regained his footing, and finally managed to take a decent look at the situation. The tunnel they were currently sheltering in was not suitable enough for protecting themselves against the fire-breathing dragonflies, who were currently setting alight the main entrance of the ant hill.

"This, happens often I take it?" Reggie assumed.

"That depends on what you mean by often."

"Don't you have some sort of escape tunnel for situations like this?"

"Well of course we have those."

"Really?" Reggie had a quick moment of thought. "And, where do you put the soil from all these tunnels?"

"Oh that's easy. We dug other tunnels above these ones, and put the soil in there."

Pausing at that oxymoron for a second, the boy decided not to press it further and instead picked up a stick from the ground and stepped toward the exit of the tunnel.

Alice fell off the stream of ants in their own respective tunnel, quickly standing up and dusting herself off, glancing around at the tunnel's entrance to check if they were truly safe from the invaders. "Why'd you stop running? They could still easily catch us from here."

"Well we can't defend ourselves anymore than we already have can we?" said an ant coming up beside her.

"Why?" Alice wondered. "Don't you have enough resources? Don't you have enough men-, uh, ants, to fight back? I thought all ants had armies."

"We do. But we can't fight back against the dragonflies, that would be rude."

This left Alice dumbfounded. "Because that would be rude?" She looked up at the ant and placed her hands on her hips, repeating what he had said. "But they might possibly kill you!"

"Yes, but it'll hurt their feelings if we ever strike back against them." As soon as the ant had said that, he immediately glanced up and gasped, and Alice, who was still on the floor, turned to look too, only to see one of those dragonflies flying down the tunnel straight towards them. She let out a sharp scream and flung her arm in front of her face in attempt to shield herself.

However before the winged creature could even reach them, a rope that seemed to be made of tied together grass blades, latched around the fly's snout, right between it's teeth, forcing it's body to come a forced stop, jerking upwards and being flipped upside down.

Alice lowered her arm, and saw at the end of the tunnel, her bold friend holding the other end of the grass blade rope, looking intensely at the dragonfly. He then, without taking his gaze off the beast, slowly bent down and grabbed a stick off the floor, and started to back away.

"Reggie no" Alice realised what he was doing.

The Dragonfly wriggled it's way upright, and buzzed straight back down the entrance of the tunnel and following the boy into the main cavern of the ant hill, where all the other entrances to the tunnels were.

The boy stepped cautiously in the middle of the cavern, hitting his stick against mounds of dirt to attract the other insects attention. He offered himself up as bait, and once all the piercing hungry eyes of the flies were on him, he darted in another direction, heading to an entrance to an abandoned tunnel. The flies did the same, following him, closing their prey down and making attempted swoops like a hawk trying to catch a mouse. He ducked at every swoop, even hitting the flies on the snout on attempts when they got too close. The fire they breathed from their nostrils just barely missed him, and he only narrowly avoided a blast by finally reaching the tunnel, in which he proceeded to run down.

'I hope this works' he thought with slight fear filling him as he jabbed the stick upwards piercing the roof of the tunnel cutting it along as he ran, like a knife cutting through sellotape on a sealed box. He stopped when he got to the end. The dead end. The dragonflies were hot on his tail and were so close to catching him, just when, the roof of the tunnel caved, and piles upon piles of dirt spilt through like water coming through a broken sunroof, burying the dragonflies in a huge mound of soil.

From the outside perspective, the ants peered out from the other tunnel entrances they originally ran in to hide. They had seen the tunnel that the boy and the flies had sprinted into collapse, and gazed on in shock and held their breath not quite sure what to do.

Alice herself had made her way to the tunnel exit and clasped her hands to her chest when she saw the cave-in.

"Quick! Dig the boy out!" one of the ants finally shouted. And the creatures nearest the cave-in jabbed away at the dirt with their two front legs, and crawled into the soil. It was just a few seconds, but being Wonderland that could've been any amount of time. But either way the boy was pulled out by the ants much to the relief of his worried friend, letting out a breath of relief.

Immediately she ran to him and helped him stand up after he had stumbled out of the hole the ants had dug to reach him. He coughed a bit and was covered in earth. In his hair on his face and everything. He rubbed the dirt away from his face with his sleeves.

"Reggie are you alright? Those terrible beasts chased you! They preyed on you. You could've been eaten and gobbled up! They could have turned you into ashes with their breath! That was a very dangerous thing to do! It was, it was…"

Alice remembered it. How Reggie offered himself up like that without the slightest look of fear on his face, or at least from her perspective. How he held a rope of tied together grass blades like a lasso from those stories he told her from the far west. How he wielded only a stick against these monstrous creatures, which at this size were a lot bigger than him, and led them right into a trap putting his own life at risk to save other insects he'd only just met.

"...It was very brave."

She had listened to him talk about facing up to big terrible creatures before, how he would tackle them in a battle. About fighting large beasts and saving the native people of the land from such demons. But she always thought it was all talk and games. Not that she discouraged that in him. She always loved playing along with it at the meetups when the two would have play sword fights. But she never actually imagined a situation where he would come up against such an antagonist. Sure it was only tiny fire breathing dragonflies, but at their current size still.

"Ho Ho what a lad! He took care of the dragonflies who wanted to kill us without even having to offend them! He shall be taken to the Queen!" declared one the ants.

"Queen?" Both Alice and Reggie said at the same time a bit startled.

"She's down in the lower caverns, just finishing laying her eggs for the year. You shall meet her!"

The children were slightly relieved as they realised it was the Ant Queen they were talking about. And they soon found themselves being carried by the ants and down to the lower levels. All the way down, Alice couldn't get the thought of how impressed she was of her friend's heroic deed.

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They were carried into a large cave, probably the largest in the Ant mound. They were placed down in front of a large pile of larvae, which Alice and even Reggie couldn't help but feel slightly sick at the sight. And the top using it as some sort of throne, sat the largest Ant out of all of them.

"Your majesty, may we present the two humans, one of which saved our nest from the Dragonflies."

Alice and Reggie almost forgot their manners, only just remembering to bow and curtsey in front of her.

"Ah how wonderful!" The Queen responded in a kind older voice. "I'm very grateful to you for saving our colony. If there's anything you want from us, you're welcome to it."

This was their chance to ask. "Hmm, there is one particular thing actually your majesty" Alice stepped forward. "You see, we know how you leaf cutter Ants like to grow fungus. May we have two pieces of that?"

"I don't see why not." The Queen clapped her two front legs together as two worker Ants carried two pieces of fungi to the children.

"That's very kind of you your majesty, but, just a suggestion, perhaps you should, prepare," Reggie tried to find the right words. "For another attack like this."

"But we might offend the Dragonflies!" replied the Ant Queen.

"Ah but, aren't you offended when they attack you?" Alice pointed out with a rhetorical question.

Every Ant had to pause at that for a second, as if they were just figuring it out. "Interesting thought children" said the Queen. "We'll consider it."

"And just one thing more, I really, really want to know what a Jabberwock is. You see we found the Jabberwocky poem and-"

"Jabberwocky poem! G-Get them out! Get them out my sight!" ordered the Queen stuttering slightly.

The children glanced around them, and noticed that all the other Ants were visibly terrified too. "And to think from the same people saved us!" one of the Ants exclaimed, as two or three of them scurried toward Alice and Reggie, lifting both of them off the ground. And similar to what Reggie had done earlier, one of those Ants cut a line with his leg in the dirt ceiling above, opened it up, and threw the children upwards, with both pieces of fungi still in their hands.

Although they must've been several caverns down, they ended up straight back on the surface in the tall grass blades, and the hole closed up behind them. They struggled to get up for a few seconds as the whole ordeal just now with the Dragonflies had shaken them a bit.

"I don't understand it" admitted Alice. "What could possibly be so petrifying that the mere mention of it could turn a whole colony against you?"

"It must be a helluva beast. Far bigger than those ones the Carthaginians used I should think" Reggie said dusting the dirt and soil off his jacket and trousers, which was difficult because they were the same colour as the soil.

Alice suddenly remembered the incident her friend had just gone through and immediately became concerned about his well being again. "Did those creatures hurt you Reggie? Did the fire from their nostrils reach you? Did they claw at you?"

"No no Alice it's fine really" he smiled continuing to dust himself. "Just a couple of winged pests, no problem. I don't mind the dirt. Similar to the chimney sweeping anyway."

"Well, okay, just make sure you don't hurt yourself alright."

Reggie laughed. "Honestly Alice you're starting to sound like my mother. Now," he picked up his piece of fungus. "How do we become big again?"

"You have to lick it" Alice instructed, doing it herself and suddenly shooting upwards. Watching his friend quickly spurt up, Reggie copied her and at last the children were again regular height. "Better keep these" advised Alice putting the fungus in her apron pocket. "They came in handy last time."

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Remembering the instructions given by the Butterfly, both humans carried on with trying to reach the next chess square. They had almost forgotten after the whole mess with the Ants that they had a chess game to complete. One where they were the pieces. They were only still on the fourth square, and had yet to even cross the halfway crook.

Thankfully it wasn't much longer before they reached it. However what they didn't expect was when they came out of the forest, they were met with a very wide and long river, with the other side only just visible in the distance.

"Hmm. Bit of a snag this is" remarked Reggie.

The river stretched left to right as far as both of them could see, with no noticeable sign of a bridge anywhere. Besides even for this land the river was too wide for one anyway.

"Oh dear, how are we supposed to get across the halfway crook now?" sighed Alice.

And almost as if her prayers had been answered, immediately over the waves of the river a large vessel appeared out of nowhere. Literally nowhere as neither of the children saw it despite having just observed the entirety of the river. It was a proper ship, like an old naval one, used in battles and warfare. Though it looked similar to something pirates used.

Thankfully it wasn't pirates, more or less sailors who were all ampormorthic animals, and at the steering wheel of this ship, the Dodo in his captain's uniform brought the vessel close to the bank stopping just beside the children. Alice and Reggie, but especially Reggie, were in awe at the sheer might of a ship right beside them. Of course this wasn't new to him. He had been near, and even on some ships down at the harbour before. He volunteered in his free time to help out on some in terms of loading goods off and on. He was introduced to the work by his father and the boy was quick to make friends with most of the dock workers. He was quite used to this by now, but he loved it every time.

"Way Ho there! What do we have down here lads!" The Dodo in a delightful tone announced to his sailors.

"It's the Dodo! Mr Dodo! Could you help us?" Alice called up.

"Huh, I guess you were right they still do exist" remarked Reggie.

The ship hoisted a tiny anchor into the river bank and the Dodo captain peered over the side. "I say, you two look a little lost. May we be of any service to you?"

"You'll never hold the ship with just that" said Reggie quietly inspecting the anchor.

"Uh yes Mr Dodo, we would like some help crossing this river if you don't mind?" Alice quickly interrupted her friend.

"Crossing the river? Ho ho, surely it's not that far, you could probably swim it if you tried" he said it quite encouragingly observing the river behind him.

"How 'bout it Alice?" smiled Reggie clearly being sarcastic.

"I'd, much prefer it if we travelled by boat way."

"Hm, some people aren't meant for the sea I suppose. Hop aboard children!" The Dodo captain ripped a wooden plank off the deck and threw it over the side of the ship acting as some sort of ramp. Alice had some trouble balancing whilst walking it up, whereas Reggie did so perfectly he could've powerwalked it if he wanted to.

Hopping aboard, the tiny anchor was discarded and the plank was pulled back and placed into the deck again. "Right then men!" the Dodo addressed stepping back behind the captain's wheel. "Across the river it is!"

The anthropomorphic animal sailors hoisted the sails on the masts and the ones in the lower decks began rowing as the Dodo spun the wheel turning the ship away from the bank.

"You might want to hold onto something" Reggie advised to his friend, grabbing a hold of one of the shroud ropes. The ship jolted port side and Alice lost her balance temporarily, quickly grabbing ahold of the same ropes Reggie was holding. "Don't worry" he chuckled. "It should be smooth from here on."

The ship started to sail outwards, heading for the other side of the vast river. Once it became a bit more easier to stand, the children let go of the ropes and went for the side of the deck. They leaned on the edge looking down at the never-still water, violently hitting the ship, splashing and leaving stain marks against the hull.

"How on earth are we moving? There's no breeze" Alice observed.

"Sometimes you don't need a breeze, the current is strong enough to push it" Reggie explained.

"But the current is going against us" the girl pointed.

"Hm, must be some strong rowers-" the boy looked down only to see that they were no oars sticking out the sides of the ship. In fact, all the crew seemed to be on deck. "Anyway, I always wanted to take you on a ship Alice, show you around, see what it was like in person rather than just showing you pictures in textbooks. I just never thought it'd be like this." He leaned his back against the side with his hands in his jacket pockets. "Come to think of it, I've never actually been on a sailing ship myself. This is my very first time being on one on the open sea, well, river."

"In other words, you can list the facts logistics and procedures of a ship but never the actual emotional experience" observed Alice, a smile forming on her face.

"She's right me boy!" The Dodo appeared behind him and slapped him on the back. "I overheard what you said about the current. You claim to know the insides and outs of vessels like this, and yet only on you're first time being on one do you finally realise what these waves can really do. My boys should know, isn't that right lads?"

"You can say that again sir! Millar over there had trouble finding the north earlier" replied an ampromorthic racoon.

"Old Johnson got the mast and hull the wrong way round when we were building the ship!" shouted out a ampromorthic leopard. Of course there were some creatures there that Alice and Reggie didn't even know existed.

All the crew were engaged in some sort of duty, whether it was mopping the deck or lifting barrels or tucking the sail away, or any other meanel job.

"I didn't think it'd be this much work on a ship" Reggie looked around at the crew. One other thing he also noticed was although the Dodo himself spoke with a British accent, the crew all had American ones. "You aren't committing Impressment are you? Because that lead to a war y'know."

"I'll have you know son that we volunteered here" chastised an Echidna overhearing him.

"Oh we're all friends here me' lad! And it's not all work y'know!" proclaimed the Dodo.

"Are there games on this ship?" asked Alice hopeful.

"Games yes, but more so, singing too, shanties! What's that one you boys all love?" the captain asked turning to his crew.

The crew, upon hearing this, immediately all smiled to each other and sang the line:

" _Yankee Doodle came to town A-Riding on a pony, stuck a feather in his cap and called it Macaroni!"_

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All the sailors were climbing the ropes and some were dancing and moving along in tune with the song. As the lizard whom took over from the captain at the wheel lead the shanty.

" _Father and I went down to camp along with captain Goodwood,_ _And there we saw the men and boys,"_

The crew all sang together:

" _As thick as Hasty pudding! Yankee Doodle keep it up! Yankee Doodle dandy!_ _Mind the music and the step and with the girls be handy!"_

The Lizard once again lead:

" _And there they'd fife away like fun, and play on cornstalk fiddles,_ _And some had ribbons red as blood all bound around their middles"_

They all sung rather quietly:

" _Yankee Doodle keep it up, Yankee Doodle dandy,_ _Mind the music and the step and with girls be handy."_

The children watched in sheer bewilderment at the show going on before them, not knowing whether to join in or keep watching in awe. It wasn't long though before they were eventually dragged in as two sailors each, picked up either child and carried them on their shoulders, bringing them to the middle of the deck.

" _And there was captain Washington upon a slappin' stallion!"_ the crew harmonized.

" _Giving orders to his men!"_

Not being able to help it, Alice joined in too. " _I guess there was a million!"_ she sang.

The chorus was sang again, as they all used the barrels as drums and the shroud and mast ropes as guitar strings. Reggie couldn't help but feel a little awkward right in the middle of all this. This was something that pirates did not sailors. This was, improper. But it wasn't until he felt a hand on his.

"C'mon Reggie, you're first time on a ship at sea, you should being having amounts of fun" his blonde encouraged him, so he relented and listened to the rest of the song.

" _And everytime they shoot it off it took a horn of powder"_ the crew sang once again quietly as the lizard then continued at normal pitch:

" _It made a noise like father's gun!"_

And too at normal pitch the crew belted out:

" _Only a nation louder! Yankee Doodle keep it up! Yankee Doodle dandy! Mind the music and the step and with the girls be handy!"_

Then the lizard:

" _It scared me so I hooked it off, nor stopped as I remember, nor turned about 'till I got home"_

And to finish on a big finale:

" _Locked up in mother's chamber! Yankee Doodle keep it up! Yankee Doodle dandy! Mind the music and the step and with the girls be handy!"_

Toward the end of the crew's song, which at the end became more harmonized, Reggie couldn't help but find some sort of catchy rhythm to the patriotic song. A patriotic song of a revolution that had been against the very thing he loved and believed in. Yes it was in its infancy back then, but compared to the revolutionaries it was still a giant. He had to admit, there was a level of respect he had for said revolutionaries for achieving such a feat, and if it wasn't for that then it wouldn't have inspired the French revolution leading to the rise of Napoleon and the battle of Waterloo, which in his opinion was one of Britain's finest hours.

"Is it like this on other ships Reggie?" asked Alice approaching him, clearly having enjoyed herself in this little musical.

"It's-" he paused. Of course he didn't know the answer. And by the expression on his face and remembering that this was his first time on a ship Alice quickly realised this too.

"Well, I've heard from the sailors down at the docks, that they occasionally sing shanties."

"Ah you're never a true frogman until you've got salt water in your veins" proclaimed the Dodo in his accent coming up to them again. "Just ask old Robertson over there!" he pointed to ampromorthic frog with his pipe. "Now, any questions?"

Reggie looked over with a skeptical face at Alice who herself had one in return.

"Any point?" he asked.

"None whatsoever" she replied.

There were still many things though that the boy knew about ships, still in the facts and figures of things, and also in the weather. The sail which had now been hoisted on the mast began blowing rapidly, and any birds in the sky which had previously been there had flown away.

"There is a question, are you sure we're sailing smoothly?" he eyed the captain.

"Well of course we are lad" boasted the Dodo heading back to the steering wheel.

Even a land girl such as Alice was noticed something off too. "The ship seems to be rocking an awful lot doesn't it?"

"Not to worry, it's just the storm up ahead. No little bother at all."

"Oh well that's alrigh-, storm!" Alice exclaimed as she and Reggie shared a quick worried glance and turned their heads toward the bow to see right in the middle of the river, a large dark cloud on it's own producing gales and rain at an incredible speed.


	7. The Jabberwock

There it was. Like a whirlpool. A little section in the middle of the river, a thunderstorm was violently blowing away inside a circumference.

"Ah I thought it was getting a little too quiet. Finally a challenge" expressed the Dodo captain.

"We're heading right toward it! Mr Dodo, you have to turn the ship around!" Alice tried to alert him.

"Nonsense girl, this ol' sea beauty won't falter at a mere storm" he patted the side of the captain's wheel. "All we have to do is batten down the hatches and we'll be laughing."

Reggie gazed out at the gale ahead. He knew that battening the hatches wouldn't be enough. "There's still time to turn around Mr captain sir, just rotate the wheel."

"Oh you aren't afraid of a little rain and thunder are you now boy? Not to worry, we'll slip through like a sea serpent" the bird proclaimed.

In a moment of desperation and with a look of fear on her face, Alice turned to her friend, as to look for an answer. "Reggie?" She was clearly very scared.

He thought and glanced around for a brief moment. "The centre of the ship" he gestured with his head. "It's the safest place during a storm." Both children stepped back to the centre under the mast, both wrapping a hand each around some rope and their free hands holding each other. All they could do was wait until the ship hit the small area of the storm and then:

It jerked suddenly causing Alice and Reggie to stumble forward, as the sails above them flapped violently. The entirety of the ship was now in the gale. It bobbed up and down, rocked side to side, barrels rolled around the deck, boxes were blown across. The children could feel the rain spray at them whilst the wooden deck turned a darker colour from the wetness.

The crew worked effortlessly to secure the ships, though amazingly they didn't seem to mind the storm at all. They acted as if this was normal routine. The Dodo especially was enjoying himself laughing a belly laugh at the force of the wind.

"Ho ho! What did I say? Batten the hatches and smooth sailing for us!"

They approached the eye of the storm and this was when it became most powerful. The sail suddenly ripped and a beam of the mast was torn clean off, smacking the deck of the ship below.

"Hmm, perhaps I underestimated it a tad." The Dodo put a hand to his beak. "Oh well! I still have faith we'll pull through" he gestured with his arms, ripping off the captain's wheel.

"Ok change of plan. Everyone to the lifeboats!" he declared. "Oh, but alas, a captain must go down with his ship" he said sorrowfully. His demeanour suddenly changed. "But it can't go down if there's no water. Henderson!" he called to an anthropomorphic frog. "The plug if you please."

Henderson nodded and dived straight overboard not fazed by the currents at all.

"Plug?" Alice repeated looking at Reggie.

She soon understood what he meant as Henderson popped up again leaping onto the deck with what seemed to be a rather comically oversized bath plug in his hand. "All taken care of sir!" he saluted.

The ship started to feel as if it was sinking. But not into the water, the river itself was going down. An anthropomorphic racoon ran toward a cabin door and pulled out several birds with oversized beaks, throwing them all into the sea upside down so that the beaks were buoyant on the water, and jumped onto it's legs utilizing them as a seat.

All the other shipmates followed suit, leaping onto a bird each and sailing away from the doomed vessel. The Dodo was just about to join them when Alice called out, "Wait! Mr Dodo! What about us?"

The Dodo turned around remembering his two passengers. "Ah, children. Don't you worry, just make sure you respect the sea, and she'll respect and take care of you! Tally ho!" he waved and leapt off the deck.

"What? How does that help us?" the girl tried to keep him from leaving, but it was clear now that she and Reggie were on their own. The sea sank lower and lower, and the storm worsened, breaking off more parts of the ship and ripping the sails.

"Reggie, what are going to do?" Alice asked desperately, her other hand now clutching the ropes as well.

The boy looked around, not quite sure himself of what to do. Then, an empty rum bottle rolled at his feet, and a sudden idea came to mind. "Alice, do you still have your piece of mushroom?" he asked and her face suddenly lit up.

"Oh please let this work" she begged as she and Reggie quickly licked their piece each and once again shrank down to three inches high. They both scrambled to climb inside the bottle, a little bit more difficult now that they were small again. Once thankfully inside, they wedged themselves in the bottle's neck in order to stay secure and shelter from the waves. The ship began breaking up almost entirely now, and the waves swallowed up huge chunks of it. Water swept over the deck and washed away many items left there, including the bottle Alice and Reggie were hiding in. They grabbed ahold of one another and were pushed into the waves, too being swallowed by the sea. Everything else after that went black.

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The empty rum bottle was on a damp hard floor, still concussed rolling. Once it came to a stop, two figures fell and stumbled out, completely drenched and half-drowned. They were coughing up spurts of water and shivering all over.

Barely managing to stand, Alice pulled out her surviving piece of mushroom and licked it once more, becoming regular height. Reggie, whom's piece was not so lucky as he had been the one closer to the bottle's opening, pulled out a mess of soggy crumbs and hoped that this wouldn't backfire. He swallowed the whole lot in one go, expecting the worst, but he too grew to his regular height alongside Alice, both struggling to regain their balance and footing after this whole ordeal.

They took a look around at their surroundings and found themselves to be at the very bottom of the now drained river. Right down at it's bed, cold and damp and dark. Looking upwards, they could just barely make out the banks of the river, which although now on the other side, they had no way of climbing up. It must've been several feet, with no route to get to. It was like being trapped in a huge canyon.

"Oh, how are we going to get there now?" Alice sighed, wrapping her arms around herself starting to shiver.

Reggie, exhausted himself, helped up his friend and managed to speak out through heavy breathing, "C'mon, let's, sit down against the wall" and lead them over to the wall of the drained river. He slid off his brown jacket trying to rinse it out as best he could, and surprisingly his jacket became completely bone dry as the water was all squeezed out. He only questioned it for a moment though before placing it gently around Alice's shoulders and sitting down beside her.

"Thank you" she sniffed. Goosebumps covered her exposed arms, and she pulled the jacket around herself tighter. They sat there breathing silently for a few moments, before Reggie finally broke it.

"I thought a ship like that," he panted, "Would've been stronger."

There was another moment of breathing. "Oh Reggie, what are we doing here?" She exasperated. "It was hardly this dangerous when I came here the last time. All this for a chess game, we could have drowned just now!" She sniffed again.

Her friend didn't say anything, but let her continue.

"Why did I come back here? Why couldn't I have just left this alone?"

"You wanted to prove to yourself you were not mad. That you were right and that all those people believing you to be insane were in fact wrong. I mean I'm here, and this is definitely a very real place after all" Reggie lifted up his soaked arms to refer what he was talking about.

"Yes, you're here, and you almost drowned with me. I brought you into this. But then again, we did survive I suppose. And you knew exactly what to do. You're more suited for this place then I am Reggie."

"Are you trying to have me on? This land was made for you Alice. You survived and navigated your way through it before all on your own and I don't have a shred, or at least a lot of shreds, of doubt that you could do it again. And to be quite honest with you, if it's me you're worried about, this has been the most adventure that I've seen in-, well it's been the most adventure I've ever seen. And although it was a disaster, I at last got to sail on an actual ship."

"But what about it sinking and crashing?" questioned Alice looking up at him.

Reggie for a brief moment paused in thought. "Nah, just wasn't a good crew." He stood up leaning his hand against the river wall. "At least I hope it wasn't." He muttered quite quietly.

The girl however just shook her head. "Perhaps we should just head somewhere else. Wherever somewhere else is. As I still don't intend to go home just yet, not to those people. Maybe we should just head off to somewhere other in Wonderland?"

"And the chess game?" Reggie inquired.

"It's not our game. It was never our game. We shouldn't have to worry about it."

"Yes we do Alice" said Reggie calmly. "From the point we agreed to be pawns, it's by principle we finish this. You're the one who wanted to do this in the first place."

"I know and I'm beginning to regret it."

The boy gazed down at her and shuffled his feet a bit. "I've probably told you this already, but when I was little, and my father used to take me to a lotta harbours. I've been to 'em all, you name it. Liverpool, Dover, Bristol, Southampton. And there was this one time he took me to Plymouth. I was about, five maybe, and we were on a raised harbour deck, near the edge looking out at the sea, and a large naval ship heading outward." He leaned his back against the rocky wall, glancing up at the river bank.

"The sun was setting slowly, and he pointed to it, and looked down at me. He said: 'One day Reginald, there's going to be a time where that will never set. Where that will last forever.' I didn't understand what he meant of course. I remember asking him why but he didn't tell me, instead he told me how. He said in order to make that happen, we have to head beyond the horizon, grab the sun, and make sure it stays that way. And that there's no point in claiming that unless we're actually going to do it. I looked up at him" Reggie continued as he now gazed down at Alice.

"His face was stern, stiff, but full of determination. Seemed as though not even a tidal wave could knock him down. Not a hint of fear on his face at all."

"You remember all that?" Alice asked, now forgetting she was even cold. "And here's me, whom can't even remember what she had for Breakfast this morning." She stood up removing the jacket from her shoulders. "Here," she handed it back and he took it. "I know I voluntarily entered ourselves onto this escapade. But I just don't see it as something worth almost drowning over. This isn't my game, this isn't our game. We should head off." The girl took a few steps away from the wall.

"You go through all this now you want to throw it in?" her friend questioned her.

"Reggie I almost got you killed" she turned around to face him.

"I know, but that's all part of-" Reggie suddenly stumbled backward. His hand was still against the rocky wall, and his weight pushed the rock back, like a secret passage in an Egyptian pyramid. He managed to regain his footing, and was quickly accompanied by Alice at his side.

Sure enough, in the side of the river canyon wall, there was a secret passage beginning to open, with just darkness to offer inside. The children stared up in awe and trembled a little bit before glancing at the other briefly, wondering what to do or say.

Alice's expression then changed from one of caution to one of interest. Her eyebrows arched and she slowly stepped toward the dark entrance. She placed her hands at the side of the passageway peering in. There was silence now. Reggie was half expecting a giant head to lunge out a devour Alice in one gulp. Which was part of the reason he called to her.

"Perhaps we should find a safer route?"

She didn't reply at first. She looked at him and back again, and then back at him. "Perhaps this is the safer route. Shall we see?"

Reggie turned his nose up. "You sure?"

To her friend's credit, she wasn't. "Are there any other routes?"

He examined around. "Fair enough." Who knows, this passage was as good a chance as any. Bending down he took a stick off the ground as well as two stones which he it a fire with at the top of the stick, making a torch. "At least some physics still work correctly here."

He approached the passageway, a slight uneasy feeling coming over the both of them. Alice stepped behind him, putting her hands on his back. "You go first."

He took a slight look back at her quizzically, and headed on, her following suit. There was no sound now, apart from the two children's breathing as they unknowingly entered the cave having no idea what was ahead. At least they thought it was a cave. They opted to stay close to the edge, with only the torch lighting the way, feeling alongside the wall as they soon found themselves in an open clearing. A clearing which was suddenly all lit up by the one torch Reggie was holding.

Another strange feeling came over the both of them. Alice gripped on to Reggie's shoulders tighter. The clearing although underground didn't look like a cave at all. In fact it seemed more like the inside of a castle stable. There were stone bricks against the cave walls and floor, piles of hay scattered about. It looked as though some animal had lived here. On the other side of this clearing were a flight of stairs leading up to a door, with a second door on the ground.

Then out of nowhere a bird the size of a parrot flew straight over them and out of the cave entrance. Making the pair jump a little at it's squawking.

"Well, this is certainly new" Alice tried to uplift the feeling that both of them currently had. This was strange. Even for Alice whom had been to this land before never felt something like this.

Reggie however swallowed and put on a stern face. "Let's just keep moving. We'll try the door up there."

Suddenly a sharp bang startled the two kids. It sounded like something slid across at a quick speed. And it was. The door on the ground floor now had a square opening, kind of like a peeper hole, and sure enough, there was an eye at the other end. An eye that filled up the entire opening. It darted around until it found the two children, and dilated upon seeing them.

The three stared at the other, not uttering a single word. All too bewildered to speak.

"That sword! Is it Vorpal?" the eye demanded.

The human pair didn't answer. Still too amazed.

"If Vorpal shall it be, then you're warned to leave immediately" resumed the eye, it's tone having a hint of shakiness to it.

"S-sword? What sword?" asked Alice. "We possess no sword."

"What is the object?" the eye referred to the item in Reggie's hand.

"This? This is a torch. We need it to light our way-" the boy answered cautiously.

"Where is my bird?" the eye interrupted.

"Bird-?" the parrot sized animal once again swooped over ahead, landing on a perch on the second floor.

Once it saw it had returned, the eye again focused on the children. "Are you from, down there?"

"Down, there?" The kids briefly glanced at the other. "Actually sir, we're from _out_ there. We were shipwrecked when the river drained-" Alice began to explain, but the eye wasn't having any of it.

"Then you must go! I do not want death."

"Death? Sir I assure you we just want to get through-"

"Please, leave. I want a quiet existence with no more terror" the eye's voice began to shake.

"Terror?" Reggie arched an eyebrow, taking a few paces toward the door. "S-step, step out for a minute."

The eye glared at him, as if contemplating what he said. Then all of a sudden an unlocking sound emitted. The knob turned sideways and the door creaked outward. There was a brief pause as the humans waited to see what would emerge from the dark. To their horror, a massive, scaley, clawed arm dragged out, seeming too big for the rest of it to fit through, but it did with ease. Despite the door's tiny frame the arm was followed by a body, a tail, two wings, a long neck all covered in scales, and a head. A pointed thin smoking head. It's eyes still glaring the same way.

The humans began to fill with silent panic. Both their eyes and mouths widened and lips trembled. Reggie stepped a few paces back, trying not to fall over from his shaking legs. He not once took his eyes off the giant towering over him as he felt Alice dig into his shoulders again from behind, too frightened to speak herself.

After a few seconds, all Reggie could do or say was: "Run." They bolted it out of there, with him, even now, making sure Alice was ahead of him. Keeping his body behind hers in order to shield her. They made it out of the cave entrance into the drained river canyon and a paced a couple of metres away from it, as if expecting the beast to be following them.

"Was that, what I think it was?" Alice frantically asked between breaths.

"What else could it have been? C'mon we have to keep moving" urged Reggie gripping the torch.

"Why, why isn't it chasing us?" the girl observed, staring into the dark entrance abyss.

"You know what this place is like! It's probably already caught up to us as far as we know!"

"But Reggie, look. We're still here aren't we?"

"Yes exactly, so let's leg it."

Alice however kept on staring into the entrance. Intrigued by the fact nothing was coming after them. Nothing was chasing them. And as she did the first time, she approached the opening peering in. No regard or caution in her mind. Her friend could not believe what she was doing. Was she trying to get herself killed?

He ran up to her, calling her name, but by the time he reached the cave opening, Alice had already stepped well back in, and finally caught up with her in the clearing. He feared the worst. She could be dead. She could already have been swallowed up by that beast and he would've been too late to do anything. How was he supposed to explain that to her parents?

Then he reached her. She was alive, standing there gazing on at the beast, and he felt a wave of confusion. The creature was lying there, curled up like a cat. Staring glumly at the floor. It's eye spotted the two again, and it lifted it's head up ever so slightly.

"What are you still doing here?" it uttered. "I told you I want no trouble."

Alice hesitated a bit before she answered back. "We, we aren't here to give you any trouble, sir. What, what are you exactly? If you don't mind me asking?"

The beast lifted it's head even higher and turned 90 degrees this time to face them. "You don't, want to hurt me?"

"Well I think it's rude to hurt someone you've only just met. Not without knowing what-, who they are first and what they are like."

There was another pause. "Where are you from?" the beast asked curiously.

"Very far from here sir. We're not used to this place you see. It's only my second time here myself, and my friend's first. And I would very much like to know; we have heard a lot of stories about this, creature. The white king told us about it."

"Recite" ordered the beast.

"Recite?" questioned Alice.

"Twas brillig, and the slithy toves, Did gyre and gimble in the wabe" Reggie, whom had been very quiet up until now started speaking. "All mimsy were the borogoves, and the mome raths-"

"Outgrabe." The beast finished.

"It, is you" realised Alice. "You're the, the,"

"Leave me be. Now that you know what I am you must despise me. I am a different idea to the rest of the land so I therefore must be evil." It lowered it's head.

"Evil? _Are_ you evil?"

"Of course I am. But I've never considered it. The thing is they're evil too, it's just that they've never considered it."

Again, after being unusually inactive, Reggie spoke up and implied "Are you, frightened of the people up there?"

The beast did not answer.

"Because they're afraid, deathly afraid vice versa. We've been kicked out of anthills just by mentioning you."

"Mr Jabberwock sir, if that is your name. How long have you been down here?" Alice continued her questioning.

"I've been here for eons. I cannot go out. I cannot leave," he sighed as a breath of smoke came out his nostrils. "I'm chained here. But I don't see any reason to go anyhow, not with the consequences looming."

In a bold move, the blonde awkwardly stepped over to the giant dragon-like beast, and placed both of her hands onto his front claw. "If it helps" she said. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Viewing the whole scene, and a million thoughts rushing through and out, the boy lowered his torch. "Neither will I" he declared quietly.

"Look, you children are young" Jabberwock spoke, in a oddly quiet voice for as big as he was. "You don't know the world beyond your arm's length, so it would be a lot safer for you to stay away from me. How did you get into my cave anyhow?"

"A shipwreck. The river was drained and we're hoping to find our way out" Alice explained. "We're pawns for the chess game you see. And we're helping to win the game."

"Pawns? At your age? Dreadful." The beast shook his head.

"You know, the people up there, although I admit completely unusual, are really not that evil at all. And that should be explained to them too vice versa. If only they could meet you then they-, they, why goodness! That's it. They can meet you!" the girl exclaimed becoming quite bubbly.

"Meet them? No I, I-"

"Meet him Alice?" inquired Reggie.

Alice ran over to her friend. "Don't you see? If we, as pawns, make it to the other end of the chessboard, then we become Queens! And therefore have the authority to call a party. A party to meet and welcome Jabberwock here to see him for what he truly is! Yes. I'll invite everyone from across the land! Every monarch and character all there to meet you Mr Jabberwock!"

The beast on the other hand did not like this very much. "I, I couldn't. I could not do that."

"But you'll be able to leave. Oh won't you give it a try?" she pleaded using puppy dog eyes at him.

The creature glanced back and forth at the floor and at the two humans. "If you must go" he at last answered. "Then head out the door on the second floor. If you are successful, then I will join you. If not, you must never come back here again, understood?"

The children nodded slowly.

"Then mortal luck be with you" Jabberwock complied, as his Jubjub bird flew beside him. "Even though it's pointless."

It took a moment for Alice and Reggie to realise they could go. And before they left Alice curtsied to him. "Thank you. We won't disappoint you." She took Reggie's hand and lead them up the stone stairs toward the door. "Just one question" Alice turned before heading out the door. "How do we find you again?"

Right after she asked, the Jubjub bird flew over head the both of them and did a 360 swoop and landing again next to Jabberwock. "I see. Farewell Mr Jabberwock sir! Hopefully to see you soon!"

They left straight after, and the beast himself shook his reptilian head closing his eyes, resting it down on his front claws. "Hopeless. Kind, but hopeless."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The wooden door lead out to a forest on the other side of the river. Alice and Reggie were now in the fifth square of the marked out chessboard land. They came out from a door in a tree trunk, despite being several feet below ground just now.

"Wow, how remarkable" Alice commented clasping her hands. "Oh what a turnout! The unmentionable creature which apparently only corpses have seen, is really nothing of the sort at all. He's just as afraid as they are!" She practically skipped as the boy just walked beside her silently, staring at the floor. He had left his torch behind.

"We have to finish this game Reggie! Or least make it to the end to become Queens. We could extradite him from that dark cave! We could-, Reggie?" She finally noticed her friend was not in his usual calm quiet and smiling demeanour, but instead appeared rather downcast and in a way that made her own optimistic attitude turn blue. She stopped skipping, and came up to his side. "What's the matter?"

He didn't look at her. His mouth was slightly agape and his face was one of confusion. "I'm, I'm not sure, I, I always thought of beasts as such wild untamed creatures, as those in the Serengeti and grasslands. But Jabberwock, he was so, so civilised."

"Perhaps this land is offering something new?" Alice suggested, still by his side.

"It's not just that, it's, well, when he first emerged from that door. When he first stepped out and revealed himself, and when I first laid eyes on him. I just froze up I, I was just so scared. I always wanted to face up to beasts and wild animals, but I had no idea they'd be like that. I just ran, I turned and fled. I acted like a complete coward. I didn't know, I didn't think it'd be like this."

There was a short silence after his confession. It was clear he felt very ashamed of himself.

"You made sure I was safe."

"Hm?" he looked up after she spoke.

"Even when we were fleeing, I still noticed you were trying to shield me and make sure I got out first. Even when we first entered, before we knew what was in there, you still went ahead in front of me while I was gripping onto your shoulders behind you. I think subconsciously you're still being that hero you always wanted to be. Besides, I doubt a lot of explorers would've held their ground against a beast like that anyway. Thank you Reggie."

She leaned up, kissing his left cheek and holding his left hand. "Now c'mon, I believe I need my strategist to complete this game."

She let go and ran ahead, with her friend slightly uplifted and shaking his head not being able to help but smile following suit.

 **I think this is probably one of the longest breaks I've taken as the last time I updated was in May I believe. Thanks to those anyway who stuck around. I hope Jabberwock's introduction didn't seem too quick in this chapter. I didn't want to give him _too_ much as I want to keep the story focused mainly on Alice and Reggie, as to keep it less plot driven as possible and more character driven, in respect to the 1951 film (Which this is supposed to be a sequel to.) Speaking of which I decided to brush up the summary a bit as well.**

 **Sorry for waiting again, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Alice in Wonderland belongs to Lewis Carroll, this version Disney.**


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